Contemporary measures for noise reduction in airport surroundings

Air traffic, with its adverse influence on environment, is beginning to jeopardize its own development. Air traffic noise in vicinity of airports is seen as one of the important constraints of air traffic development. Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) recommends procedures for noise decreasing in vicinity of airports, mentioning that measures for noise reduction should not aim at unique solution, but at combination of different solutions. In this paper, ICAO standards and recommended practices, designed for “Balanced approach” to aircraft noise management around airports, are presented. An overview of measures applied by airports worldwide in order to reduce noise in the surroundings is provided showing their frequency and variety. Additionally, directions on development of new measures for the same purpose, originated as a response to ICAO recommendations, are presented.