- Over the past 9 years, the area around the airport affected by higher levels of night noise has decreased by 25%
- 25% fewer households affected by these noise levels at night than in 2006
- Heathrow begins trialling steeper approaches this week, which could reduce noise for people living under flight paths
LONDON, 2015-9-22 — /Travel PR News/ — An independent report published today shows a significant reduction in the area and number of homes affected by noise from Heathrow’s operations.
Analysis from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), commissioned by Heathrow as part of their on-going Noise Action Plan commitments, shows that average noise contours annually are smaller than they have been since 2006. The launch of the report comes on the first week of Heathrow’s Steeper Approaches trial, the UK’s first attempt to adopt this approach to reduce noise for people on the ground.
Over the past 9 years, the area around the airport affected by higher levels of night noise (measured by 60dB Lnight), has decreased by 25%. This has resulted in 25% fewer households affected by these noise levels at night. Had the population and households remained static during this period, there would be 42% fewer homes affected by these noise levels at night.
The area affected by average noise measurements over the course of a 24 hour operating day, as measured using the preferred European measure of noise (55dB Lden), has shrunk by 14%. That is equivalent to a decrease of 15% of homes affected by noise (or 18% if the population and households had remained static during this period).
The use of new planes and quieter procedures between 2006 and 2014 are part of the measures driving the reductions in the noise footprint. To continue improvements, Heathrow has this week begun trialling steeper approaches for 6 months, in which aircraft fly higher for longer before landing at the airport. Steeper approaches introduced at airports such as Frankfurt have shown this can reduce noise for people living under flight paths.
Although Heathrow’s noise footprint is smaller than it’s been at any time since the 1970s, the airport continues to work with airlines, regulators and local communities to make the skies around the airport even quieter. Heathrow’s Noise Blueprint, a plan which outlines ten practical steps to cut noise by 2015 and challenges aircraft to be quieter, sooner, and ensure fewer people are affected by noise, even with an expanded airport.
Matt Gorman, Heathrow Director for Sustainability and Environment says:
“Heathrow is at the forefront of international efforts to tackle aircraft noise and these latest contours are testament to the efforts of Heathrow and our airline and manufacturing partners to reduce the impact of the operations. But we won’t stop here. We know there’s more we can do through initiatives like our steeper approaches trial, and we will continue to push all those operating at Heathrow to be industry leaders in reducing noise.”
The Prime Minister’s Airports Commission has stated that at least 200,000 fewer people are expected to be within Heathrow’s noise footprint by the time an additional runway opens. It endorsed Heathrow’s new approach to expansion, developed in consultation with residents, saying “an expanded Heathrow would be a better neighbour for local communities than the airport is today.”
–ENDS—
NOTES TO EDITORS:
For more information about Heathrow’s Noise Blueprint, please visit: http://www.heathrow.com/noise/making-heathrow-quieter/our-noise-strategy/blueprint-for-noise-reduction
Heathrow’s Noise Blueprint is part of Responsible Heathrow 2020, the airport’s plan to support the UK and local communities, reduce Heathrow’s environmental impacts and look after passengers and people. It’s a step towards achieving an ambition to be one of the most responsible airports in the world.
For a full copy of the Civil Aviation Authority report outlining Heathrow’s new noise contours, please see http://www.heathrow.com/noise/facts,-stats-and-reports/reports
The contours in this report use the Civil Aviation Authority’s Environmental Research Consultancy Department (ERCD) noise model (ANCON). The model is verified each year by the CAA using data collected from noise monitors positioned in a variety of different locations around Heathrow airport.
Lden measures the equivalent sound level of aircraft noise in dBA for the annual average 24-hour period with 5dB weightings for Levening and 10dB weightings for Lnight
Lnight measures the equivalent sound level of aircraft noise in dBA for the annual average 8-hour night period (2300 -0700 local time)
Leq 6.5hr night measures the equivalent sound level of aircraft noise in dBA for the average 6.5-hour night quota period (2330 – 0600 local time). Heathrow airport restricts the number of aircraft flying in this sensitive period.
Most areas in Lden55dB and Lnight 65dB have seen decreases in noise by 2-3 decibels. Some areas have seen a slight increase including Egham, because aircraft have shifted further west within the Noise Preferential route “Dover” and Windsor Great Park due to westerly departure trial routes for the future airspace strategy, which ended autumn of 2014.
Contacts
Heathrow Media Centre media_centre@heathrow.com
+44 (0)20 8745 7224
SOURCE: Heathrow Airport Limited
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Civil Aviation Authority report: night noise at Heathrow Airport decreased by 25% over the past 9 years