Aircraft Noise Compatibility of the Airports with Progress of Noise Reduction at Source

Abstract

Сreation of noise exposure maps and airport noise compatibility programs are the basic steps in aircraft noise exposure and impact management in/around the airports, both of them are fundamental for aircraft noise zoning procedures. Noise reduction at source is also a strategic element of this management, and efficient implementation of quieter aircraft designs in operation provides closer distances of the boundaries of noise zones prohibited for residences to runway axis. These new conditions oblige the decision-makers, responsible for noise management, to be stricter with procedures for noise zones definition and to include in consideration a number of new acoustic sources inside the aerodrome besides the aircraft in flight operation, which may influence the overall exposure and impact of noise on population living or/and acting around the airport. In other words, current noise exposure maps and airport noise compatibility programs must include these dominant noise sources at specific locations of the airport also, not only the flight noise sources, as it was enough before. Today such essential noise sources for consideration in airport noise management are the aircraft in maintenance and overhaul and the aircraft during the taxing between the runway and stands on apron first of all, especially if their locations are quite far from aircraft flight operation routes and close to the residential areas around the aerodrome. The noise maps are required to be calculated currently, as for aircraft operation, so as for their maintenance and overhaul, but the measurements are evident also for their confidence and accuracy purposes.