Environmental Impacts on Airports: Noise Mitigation

 Noise Mitigation




    There are a plethora of issues that airport managers, designers, and local authorities have to consider when deciding to build an airport or improve an existing airport. Air quality and pollutants, risk of aircraft accidents to others on the ground, or noise issues, among others. Noise issues in particular are of utmost importance as it can have effect on people's wellbeing and patterns of sleep. When it comes to the areas that unwanted noise can be mitigated, we focus on a few main ideas: the source level, the trajectory level, the tactical/operational level, and the strategic level (Visser et al., 2009). The source level involves the aircraft construction and components in the airplane such as engine noise or noise made by drag. The trajectory level considers the three-dimensional space that the airplane occupies in the horizontal and vertical planes. The tactical/operational level involves air traffic control procedures, and the strategic level encompasses all long-term initiatives involving "regulatory issues, land use planning and noise compatibility, airport use, and development" (Visser et al., 2009). 

    Often times the goal to reduce unwanted aircraft noise is in conflict with safe operations or efficiency, making it difficult to implement effective procedures without negatively effecting the day-to-day operations. Airport managers are tasked with keeping all of these factors in mind when considering mitigation techniques. In regard to mitigation techniques, there is no one way to solve the problem of noise pollution for every airport - they are all different with differing levels of capacity, size, aircraft, and geographic locations relative to those that are affected by noise. There are, however, a few common themes that are adapted for mitigation in their respective airports. 

  • Establishing arrival and departure tracks to avoid overflight of populated areas
  • Buying land in the surrounding area to expand the buffer between the airport and residential areas
  • Sound proofing homes that are most affected 
  • Building blast fences 
  • Moving terminals to places on the airport that are further from residential areas 
  • Preferential runway systems 
  • Restrictions on ground noise 
(Aircraft noise: Eight airports' efforts to mitigate noise 1989)

    It is not always an easy task, and every airport will have its own ways of utilizing techniques such as these to help solve the problem. A lot of times, the airport was built and designed so long in the past that these noise issues have not been a consideration until that last few decades where air travel and turbojet aircraft have become more commonplace. The problem is not just a turbojet issue or one that only involves controlled airports, however. There are plenty of small, uncontrolled, general aviation airports that have noise complications such as the airport where I flight instruct. My home airport is a class G uncontrolled field that is privately owned but open to the public. We get noise complaints often, especially during the summer months when flying is more common and people or more likely to have their windows open or to be out on their back porches enjoying their morning coffee. We are encouraged not to do run-ups on the north end of the field between the hours of 10PM-6AM and we are supposed to fly over the meadow just off the departure end of runway 2. Noise issues will always be a problem so long as airplanes are loud, and we will have to find creative ways of mitigating the issue. Luckily, there are a number of techniques to do so. 



References 

The Office, Aircraft noise: Eight airports' efforts to mitigate noise: Report to the chairman, Subcommittee on Aviation, Committee on Public Works and Transportation, and the honorable Bruce F. Vento, House of Representatives (1989). Washington, D.C.

Visser, H. G., Hebly, S. J., & A., W. R. A. (2009). Management of the environmental impact at airport operations. Nova Science Publishers.

Comments

  1. UnknownJanuary 7, 2022 at 7:28 PM

    I have worked directly with people at Aurora State Airport, OR and they are currently undergoing a legal battle about expansion of the runway. The primary reason that the surrounding cities do not want the expansion is the possibility of bigger and louder aircraft. There are a few noise regulation policies in place currently but they will have to be readdressed if the expansion wants to continue. It is similar to how you have certain restrictions regarding runups and areas to do them. Great read.

    ReplyDelete
  2. David CroweyJanuary 9, 2022 at 2:30 PM

    Hi Reeds, I agree with you that airport managers must consider several factors before choosing the location of an airport. Such include air quality, the risk of aircraft accidents, and noise issues. In my opinion, airport managers must consider the well-being of the surrounding communities and minimize the potential adverse effects (Sameh & Scavuzzi, 2016). For example, the commitment to minimize the levels of greenhouse gas emissions, noise pollution, land utilization, waste, and congestion is a fundamental step to improving the overall health of the people.
    Importantly, mitigating noise from airport operations is a strategic move to lessen the adverse health consequences of airport operations. The airport managers have the full discretion to control both the vertical and horizontal direction of planes to at least minimize the tactical and operational degree of pollution since they have full control of the air traffic procedures. For instance, they can leverage regulatory legislation, land-use planning reports, and noise compatibility to appropriately design the airport operations and minimize unnecessary airport noise (Sameh & Scavuzzi, 2016).


    Reference
    Sameh, M. M. & Scavuzzi, J. (2016). Sustainability and Environmental Protection Measures for Airports. Occasional Paper Series, No. VII. McGill Center for Research in Air and Space Law. https://www.mcgill.ca/iasl/files/iasl/vii_sustainability_and_environmental_protection_measures_for_airports_final.pdf

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