CDA gets FAA approval for the Fly Quiet Runway Rotation Test Plan at O’Hare International Airport

CHICAGO, 2016-Jul-12 — /Travel PR News/ — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today approved the Fly Quiet Runway Rotation Test Plan for O’Hare International Airport. Developed by the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA), the rotation plan is designed to achieve a more balanced distribution of noise exposure for Chicago and suburban communities surrounding O’Hare during overnight hours. The test plan will begin the evening of Wednesday, July 6, 2016.

“This plan is one of our many efforts to preserve the quality of life in the neighborhoods near O’Hare, and it reflects the type of solutions we can achieve when everyone works together,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “I want to thank the Federal Aviation Administration for working with the Chicago Department of Aviation and the O’Hare Noise Compatibility Commission to address this important issue.”

The Fly Quiet Runway Rotation Test Plan is a six-month test in which the designated nighttime arrival and departure runways at O’Hare will be rotated each week. The weekly schedule was developed with a balanced approach that utilizes east-west parallel runways and diagonal runways. The test applies to overnight hours in which demand can be served by a single arrival or departure runway, or a mixed use runway that handles both arrivals and departures. The rotation schedule is designed to minimize the impact to communities with the same operation type (arrival or departure) for two consecutive weeks. The purpose of the test is to evaluate a condition that could be in place until Runway 14R/32L is permanently closed in 2018. The criteria for the test plan were approved by the O’Hare Noise Compatibility Commission (ONCC) in May 2016.

“This plan is critical to immediately reducing noise exposure for the communities most severely impacted,” said CDA Commissioner Ginger S. Evans. “We will continue to pursue ways to ensure that Chicago’s airports are good neighbors to residents while also remaining one of the largest economic engines of the city of Chicago.”

A critical component of the six-month test is to obtain actual data and community feedback. Comments and data will be collected and reviewed during the test period to determine the effectiveness of the rotation plan. The CDA has created a web page dedicated to the Fly Quiet Rotation Test Plan, where residents can learn about the Test Plan, view the week by week rotation schedule, and provide feedback through a brief online survey. The CDA will track nighttime flights at O’Hare and publish a weekly report on the website throughout the test period.

“The ONCC takes the feedback from affected residents very seriously, and will work to address the needs of the communities most impacted by nighttime noise identified during the test period,” said ONCC Chairwoman and Mayor of Mount Prospect Arlene Juracek. “Engaging everyone impacted during the test period is critically important to the ONCC. We are looking forward to reviewing the data and formalizing an interim Fly Quiet program that will best address the region’s needs prior to full buildout of the O’Hare Modernization Program.”

The following is a direct link to the page www.flychicago.com/flyquiettest.