Addressing the noise challenge

Since 2013, UK airlines have invested £37bn in next generation aircraft, which have delivered quieter and more fuel efficient flights and achieved noise reduction targets envisaged by our Road-Map. In the case of departures, progress has been greater than envisaged.

Noise characteristics of new aircraft:

• The design noise footprint of the A320neo is nearly a square kilometre smaller than older A320 aircraft.
• The Boeing 737 MAX noise footprint is more than 1.7 square kilometres smaller than the 737 NextGen.

• The A350-900 noise footprint is to be over 2.5 square kilometres smaller than the A340-300.
• The Boeing 787-8 noise footprint is more than 2.4 square kilometres smaller than the aircraft it replaces.

Research and technology is vital to continuing to improve noise performance.  The UK is a leader in all aspects of aerospace including engines, power plant and airframes.  UK aerospace companies are working on 140 new technology projects worth £700 million with a target to reduce noise by 65% by 2050.

We are encouraged by the establishment of the Aerospace Technology Institute in 2014 and the Government’s commitment to provide over £1bn of funding for research and technology projects over a seven-year period to 2020.

Next steps

We are calling on the Government to set out a sustained and long term commitment into research into new aircraft and engine technologies, a sector where the UK has the potential to be a true world leader. We must also modernise our airspace if we are to fully realise the benefits of this new technology, getting aircraft higher more quickly and reducing vectoring. We urge the Government to continue its support for modernisation.

Operational improvements offer the opportunity to manage and mitigate the impact of noise on local communities. Sustainable Aviation members are engaging directly with communities around airports including Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton and Stansted to raise awareness of these and where possible working with community groups to deploy these solutions.

Continuous Descent Approaches (CDAs) reduce the noise of arriving flights by keeping aircraft higher for longer and have been performed in ever increasing numbers across the UK, covering 77% of arrivals at airports where this is measured, compared to 72% in 2012. In 2016 NATS and airlines achieved 32,000 more CDAs than in 2015.

Following a study by British Airways and Airbus to prove the fly-ability of slightly steeper approaches, in 2017 Heathrow introduced a slightly steeper approach angle of 3.2° on a trial basis that pilots could request. Aircraft flying this profile reduced noise by 1 – 2dBA,with aircraft roughly 200 feet higher than a normal approach when 12 nm from touchdown.

The industry is also investing in implementing the Government’s airspace modernisation strategy. By using modern satellite guidance, modernisation can achieve a range of benefits including reduced routine stacking, fewer unscheduled night flights and greater flexibility in routing aircraft to achieve locally desired objectives such as concentration of flights or providing respite.

Next steps

The industry will continue to work with local communities to identify and implement operational changes that could have a positive impact on noise. However, modernising our airspace will enable a much greater range of operational improvements to be deployed compared to today’s operation, including the greater use of respite options and more CDAs.

Sustainable Aviation welcomes the Government’s revised UK Airspace Policy but urges continued support for airspace modernisation in the UK, and ensuring the appropriate processes are in place to enable delivery.

Airports have only limited control over developments on their periphery and in recent years new housing has been developed close to a number of airports where the impact of aircraft noise is greatest. While airports can and do engage with local authorities on planning, a consistent national approach to planning policy is essential. Improved planning guidance and greater consistency from government on land-use would make an important difference in helping manage the number of people affected by aircraft noise.

Sustainable Aviation has engaged in a dialogue with the Department for Transport, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Local Government Association’s strategic aviation special interest group and is preparing a guidance document on land use planning policy and development control.

Although there is still a need to replace previous national guidance, airports continue to take a proactive approach to planning policy, development control and in responding to planning applications in areas around airports.

• Following a workshop with local planning authorities in 2016, Gatwick undertook to progress a planning portal for local authorities and to work with them on standard planning wording for authorities to share and incorporate into their local plans. Many airports directly engage with local authorities to ensure that local plans include polices to restrict and control development in noise sensitive areas.

• Heathrow has worked with the London boroughs of Hounslow, Hillingdon and Richmond to develop joint planning guidance which draws on the ICAO approach to make a presumption that noise sensitive development will be prevented in locations with unacceptably high aviation noise levels. Airports monitor and respond to planning application consultations for noise sensitive developments in areas around airports. A number of recent developments including some close to Manchester and Stansted have been refused on aircraft noise grounds.

Next steps

We are calling on the Government to use the new Aviation Strategy to develop, consult and then implement more stringent planning guidance and a clear national policy.  Sustainable Aviation will be providing a report to the Government on land use planning and development control to support and inform this process. Our report will recommend that land and airspace required to support airport expansion is safeguarded to ensure the number of people impacted by noise is minimised.

Sustainable Aviation members understand the importance of constructive engagement with their local communities on noise issues, noise mitigation and airspace change. Through consultative committees, consultation exercises, five-year airport Noise Action Plans and informal conversations, airports seek to better understand the aspects of aircraft operations that are most likely to be intrusive. NATS actively supports airport community groups at several airports, bringing air traffic control expertise to the discussions to facilitate better understanding and inform plans to address aircraft noise.

During 2017 Sustainable Aviation conducted a series of independently-facilitated focus group sessions with people living near airports to better understand their noise concerns and priorities.  Three focus groups were independently facilitated at Gatwick, Birmingham and Manchester airports in July 2017 seeking to understand the causes of annoyance; how this varies depending on circumstances; and suggestions for how things could be improved.

Noise factors causing most annoyance to participants in the study

 

The feedback from the discussions highlighted that:

• The experience of aviation noise is less affected by people’s postcode and whether they live on a flight path or not, but more by individual noise tolerance levels and views on the advantages of having an airport on their doorstep
• It is often a change in personal circumstances that causes aviation noise to be experienced as more or less disruptive

• Participants who were newly overflown all reported that they experienced aviation noise as very disruptive
• Current noise metrics merit improvement
• Improved relationship between industry and communities in exploring solutions to noise concerns would be helpful
• There may be new opportunities and ways to consider noise compensation

The industry is also ensuring that any changes to noise impacts or noise mitigation efforts are clearly communicated through agreed channels in a timely and non-technical manner. Airport Consultative Committees provide a formal channel for communication but less formal processes can also be useful. However, these channels are predominantly used by those engaged with the debate, and we must be conscious of the relative size of these groups in comparison to those whom are not impacted by noise but live near airports for the associated economic and social benefits such as jobs and ability to travel.

Next steps

Our Road-Map highlighted several areas where further research is needed; better understanding how individual reactions to aircraft noise are influenced by factors such as tone, pitch, time of day and prevailing weather is important; understanding how tolerance of noise can be influenced by better measurement, reporting; and how communication can improve the industry’s approach.
While some progress has been made, more remains to be done. Our work in 2017 has been very valuable and it will inform our work to manage and mitigate noise in 2018 and beyond. We call on Government to continue to work with industry to support independent research to improve our understanding of the scale of the issue and how people react to aircraft noise events.

One of the most difficult challenges in producing our Road-Map, and in the industry’s ability to reduce the impact of noise, is its subjective nature. Reactions to and perceptions of aircraft noise is a complex issue that is ill-suited to ‘one size fits all’ solutions. Therefore, as well as reducing noise output, it is critical that we explore how best to consult and engage with local communities to ensure their concerns are understood and addressed.

We recognise that financial compensation for noise disturbance is an important part of the local discussions between the airport and communities. The industry provides compensation by funding noise insulation for a range of properties that experience the highest levels of aircraft noise and through investment in a range of projects important to local communities. Sustainable Aviation remains open to exploring how current approaches to compensation could be more effective. In considering this, compensation must be relevant to local circumstances at each airport and propionate to the individual circumstances.

We have made good progress since 2013 and we are now seeing growth in air traffic disconnected from an increase in noise, achieved through new technology and operational improvements designed in collaboration with local communities.

Since 2014, the number of people significantly impacted by aircraft noise around major Sustainable Aviation airports has been reduced by 12,200, this despite a rise in passenger numbers of 13%. During this period, the aviation industry has invested billions of pounds in new aircraft; airspace modernisation; and research for quieter airframe and engine technology all of which help to reduce noise. Our airports have also delivered provided significant investment in property insulation, community projects and communication materials to help address noise impacts.

We engage with local communities and their representatives so that together we can agree how best to minimise the impact of aircraft noise. Implementing a programme of mitigation, providing reassurance in the form of noise limits and investment in local communities are important outcomes from this engagement.

We know that much more can be done to limit and where possible reduce the impact of aircraft noise, from further developments in technology, to airspace modernisation that enables new and innovative ways to manage air traffic and working more closely with communities to understand and address their concerns.

The industry is committed to playing its role but we can’t do it alone. We will need collaboration from all stakeholders including the Government. The development of new Aviation and Industrial Strategies provide an important opportunity to ensure a policy that enables innovative solutions to noise can be developed. It will be important that support for investment in technology, which is critical to ensuring the UK is a global pioneer in tackling noise, continues.