Posted: November 16th, 2022

Noise Control Strategies around the Airports

Noise Control Strategies around the Airports
Any form of noise can be very disruptive and normally has substantial effect on everyday life. In aviation industry, the potential impacts of noise on the everyday wellbeing of people are dependent on the metric used which is the measure of community annoyance as a result of impacts of noise around the airports. There is a continuing concern on the growing levels of noise around the airports in the world with the increasing air transportation following increases trading activities across the world. The aviation industry is tasked to come up with more efficient ways of reducing the noise impact on the community around the airports without significantly compromising their delivery of social and economic benefits to the society. Reducing aircraft noise at the source, modification of operational procedures, use of proper land use planning, appropriate operating restrictions and community engagements are the current mitigation strategies for reducing noise impact around the airports.
Aircraft Noise at the Source
The noise around the airport mainly comes from the aircrafts, making the aircrafts the main source of the noise around the airports. The two strategies used to mitigate noise pollution emanating from the source are the design of quieter engines and airframe (Neise & Enghardt, 2003). Aircrafts noise is determined by the airframe and engine designs in many ways, a reason that has kept many aircrafts manufacturers actively researching technologies to improve noise performance of their designs for nearly over 50 years. Aircraft design improvements using superior materials in building the body and the engine of the aircraft improves quality of interaction between the airframe and the engine resulting quieter operations. A significant reduction in the weight of aircrafts has also been achieved through the use of lighter materials such as aluminum and composite materials. Lighter aircrafts are generally quieter compared to heavier ones.
The second way to reduce noise at the sources is through the use of quieter engines. Engines have been the conventional sources of noise around the airports although noise generation of engines has recently been reduced by increasing the by-pass ratio of aircraft engines, as illustrated by Neise and Enghardt (2003). The modern engine designs that have achieved a greater reduction in their levels of noise production employ the use of bigger fans to realize bigger reductions in speeds of the air needed to move through the aircraft engine which consequently reduces the noise output of such aircrafts. According to Virgin Atlantic (2013), Virgin Atlantic Airliners were set to achieve a noise reduction of up to 6dB between 2012 and 2020 through improving their engine and airframe designs. As a result, noise reduction at the source can be achieved through improvements in the design of the aircraft engine and frame.
Operational Procedures
Noise around the airports can be reduced by operational procedures such as flying the aircraft higher, routing the aircrafts alternatively and adopting suitable aircrafts operation practices. The operational procedures are based on the knowledge that abetting noise from aircraft is dependent on the way aircraft is being used in addition to the type of the aircraft. Different ways such as the use of preferential runways and routes and noise controlled takeoffs and landings can be used to reduce the noise from aircrafts by several decibels. Franssen, Van Wiechen, Nagelkerke and Lebret (2004) were conclusive that the use of the said techniques for noise reduction is largely pegged on the layout of the airport and its neighboring areas, the aircraft itself and the safety requirements at any point of the flight. A number of methods that have been devised for flying the aircraft higher have been found very instrumental in reducing noise around the airports. The adoption of continuous descent approach, displaced thresholds, steeper approaches during landing and continuous climb operations and climb thrust management during takeoffs fly the aircraft at steady angles and hence reduce the engine thrust. As a result, less noise is produced. Additionally, aircraft noise production around the airports can be significantly reduced by routing the aircrafts alternatively and adopting suitable aircrafts operation practices such as low power-low drag, managed approach speeds and thrust-on-landing avoidance. Alternative routing of aircrafts can be done through adjusted joining point, runway alternation, and noise preferential routes and runways directional preference. Therefore, noise around the airports can be reduced by operational procedures such as flying the aircraft higher, routing the aircrafts alternatively and adopting suitable aircrafts operation practices.

Land Use Planning
Proper land use planning is very significant in the reduction of noise around airports which makes a big difference for the local communities around the airports. Land use planning and managements is categorized into three based on balanced approach to noise as follows:
The planning instruments approach as the name suggests has an all-inclusive planning, noise zoning, land acquisition, property acquisition and development rights transfer.
Mitigation instruments plans emphasizes building regulations, schemes for sound regulation and insulation, physical measures of mitigation and local property searches.
The financial instruments plans use the tax incentives plans for mitigations of noise, capital improvements and other charges for mitigation and provision of community incentives.
The above three plans are acceptable in view of mitigation and reduction of noise around the world. Evidence shows that many of the airports around the world have either adopted one of the three or are in their planning stage to adopt them. Proper land use planning has seen many enjoy reduced noise disturbance around the airports.
Nonetheless, according to Virgin Atlantic (2013), the land use have become open to noise sensitive developments that seek to defy the achievements made by the industry in situations where the noise contours have shrunk. It is therefore of great importance that the land use planning does not permit such encroachment near the airports so that the noise reduction strategies can go forward. For example, the South African Airport Authorities have set up a roadmap that lays out land use planning opportunities to stay away the development of noise sensitive ventures around the airport. The said road map is a standard that has to be used in evaluating the need for developments around the airports. These steps are made possible through the cross-departmental support for the policies set therein to prevent the development of ventures that are noise sensitive around the South African airports.
Operating Restrictions
Although used as the last resort, operating restrictions can abet a lot of noise around the airport. The rationale for operating restriction is the understanding that sometimes even after employing the use of balanced approach, all the noise problems may not be solved or at least be solved completely. However, before using operating restrictions there is need to carefully balance the potential benefits of reduced noise to the neighboring communities against the potential loss in connectivity and employment that may result from such moves. That should be done closely with the governments of the various countries in which the airliners operate, as preferred by Finegold and Finegold (2003). The various forms of aircraft operating condition used as abetment polices to achieve noise reduction include the restrictions on night flights, departure noise limits, yearly noise contour limit areas, yearly movement limits, restrictions on the runway use, scheduling of aircrafts by type, the engine testing and stand activity restrictions. All of the operating restrictions mentioned above in one way or the other serve to reduce the amount of time that a particular aircraft takes on air for a specific time hence reduced noise.
It is generally understood that scheduling more flights at night has a particularly adverse impact on the neighboring communities and is definitely the least tolerable form of noise from the aircrafts. For the same reasons, the government of United Kingdom, having the power to set the operating restrictions, set noise control for designated airports such as Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick. All these controls have normally been on the night operation of the aircrafts.
Community Engagements
It is always important that what is done for the community be done collaboratively so that they can have an understanding of the operational challenges of the aircrafts, especially when the restrictions for noise abetment are put in place. The ICAO’s Balanced Approach and the SA Road-Map are introductory community engagements that address the number of people affected with the noise around the airports. As suggested by Van Praag and Baarsma (2005), working closely with such policy makers in the process of community engagement will help have clear lines of communication that address impacts of noise around the airports. As part of the airport community, the airliners have to support the airport consultative committee to enhance their role in the engagement between the neighboring community and the airport.
Besides, Van Praag and Baarsma (2005) explained that the membership of the airport consultative committees consists of the industry, the local groups and members of the local authority who seek to discuss pertinent issues regarding community views on a wide basis. Consulting with the local communities can also be done through outreach programs to the community which creates a wide platform in which people of the community can always speak their thoughts on the aircraft operations. The wide platforms of the engagements are also preferred because they offer an opportunity for the policy makers to harness a balanced view from the community members. This way the noise around the airport can be reduced through means that are acceptable not only by the industry but also a larger proportion of the members of the community.
In conclusion, noise can be very disruptive and substantially impacts everyday life. In aviation industry, the potential impacts of noise on the everyday wellbeing of people are dependent on the metric used which is the measure of community annoyance as a result of impacts of noise around the airports. As at present, mitigation strategies used for reducing the impact of noise on the communities around the airports are reduction of aircraft noise at the source by body and engine design, modification of operational procedures, the use of proper land use planning, appropriate operating restrictions and community engagements.

References
Finegold, L. S., & Finegold, M. S. (2003). Updating the US environmental noise management strategy. Noise Control Engineering Journal, 51(3), 155-159.
Franssen, E. A. M., Van Wiechen, C. M. A. G., Nagelkerke, N. J. D., & Lebret, E. (2004). Aircraft noise around a large international airport and its impact on general health and medication use. Occupational and environmental medicine, 61(5), 405-413.
Girvin, Raquel. “Aircraft noise-abatement and mitigation strategies.” Journal of Air Transport Management 15.1 (2009): 14-22.
Neise, W., & Enghardt, L. (2003). Technology approach to aero engine noise reduction. Aerospace Science and Technology, 7(5), 352-363.
Van Praag, B., & Baarsma, B. E. (2005). Using happiness surveys to value intangibles: The case of airport noise. The Economic Journal, 115(500), 224-246.
Virgin Atlantic (2013). Aircraft noise management strategy. Retrieved from www.virgin-atlantic.com/…/AircraftNoiseManagementStrategy.pdf

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