Introduction
Airplane noise could be classified as unnecessary air and ground disturbance (Babisch & Van Kamp, 2009). The noise around airports is produced when airplanes are departing or arriving. This comprises of noise created by engines and airframe turbulence when the airplane is setting off and landing. Ground noise consists of noise from airplane taxiing and engine ground running at the airport.
Despite airplanes endeavoring to become quieter, Birmingham Airport Limited recognizes that noise commotion remains a problem for many residents (Murphy & King, 2010). It is frequently hard to express the impact that airplanes have on the neighboring community as noise perception is extremely subjective. Managing the effect of noise is highly prioritized at Birmingham Airport. Noise stands to be the greatest problem that Airports in the United Kingdom face.
Measurement of noise
Airplane noise is quantified with the application of the A-weighted Decibel. This is a ratio that enhances the comparison of the sound level and the noise generators. Birmingham airport limited assesses airplane noise at six noise monitors situated in the neighborhood community where noise levels are documented in A-weighted Decibel (Netjasov, 2012). The community noise checks feed into the Airport Noise and Operations Monitoring Systems which let the airport environment team monitor noise and regulate it. Moreover, ANOMS helps the environment team at the airport to monitor community grievances and recognize the basis of disturbance.
Control of Noise at Birmingham Airport
Birmingham Airport identifies night flying as an extremely sensitive matter to the extent that it invented Night flying policy. This policy comprises of a yearly Night Noise Quota Count Limit of four thousand. Every airplane in service during the night is assigned a noise quota value. Birmingham airport provides both high and low noise quota values depending on the rate of noise from an aircraft. Airplanes that have a noise quota of 8 are not permitted to work during the night. By now, Birmingham Airport has banned the operations of airplanes of quota count that is bigger than 2 during the day (Vogiatzis, 2012).
The Airport specifies that all taking off airplanes should move through Noise Preferential Routes until they reach a height of around 3,000 feet. From the new Noise Action Strategy, Birmingham Airport works on a target of not dropping below 95% compliance. Even though the Noise Action Strategy is not needed to consider noise from airport unbefitting, the management of Birmingham airport identifies that it is a major concern for the local community.
Obligation and Achievement of the Noise Action Plan
At Birmingham Airport, there exists an effective Noise Action Plan. It comprises air sound control from the incoming and outgoing airplanes and noise from ground performance, for instance, aircraft taxiing and engine ground running. The Environment Noise Regulation needs consideration of noise effects in the set noise strategies. Nevertheless, the Airport identifies that noise effects can enlarge beyond these regions.
The Noise Action thus comprises these measures that assist regions, which are outside the Strategic Noise Maps. Even though the inclusion of the ground noise is not a necessity of the Environmental Noise Policy, Birmingham Airport’s Noise Plan contains these features. This is a sign of Birmingham Airport’s recognition of the noise effect that its operations present to its neighbors (Vogiatzis, 2012).
The application of the Noise Action Plan eliminates noise from the operations of airplanes, airport construction actions, and surface entry to the airfield. The Environmental Noise Regulation needs the Noise Action Plan to be grounded on the outcomes of the Strategic Noise Maps. The Noise Action Plan must regard noise in the range of 55 dB. The regulation needs an assessment of the number of people affected by noise actions. Nonetheless, as Birmingham Airport plans to minimize the noise outside the contours, this has been complex to estimate. The number of people impacted by the noise is enormous.
The Environmental Noise Regulation necessitates that Airport Noise Action Plans must intend to maintain a quiet region (Babisch & Van Kamp, 2009). Since quiet regions for the West Midlands have not been specified, Birmingham airport should develop policies of communicating with the related authorities concerning quiet regions. Birmingham Airport’s amended Noise Action Plan has been united with other airports’ accessible noise management programs and the responsibility established under the present Section 106 Agreement with Borough Council.
Birmingham Airport Limited is dedicated to amending the Noise Action Plan following the conclusion of any key development, which may influence the existing noise condition. Also, Birmingham Airport Limited has presented short and long term growth aims to the airport’s commission. This could help to impact broad Environmental assessment, which could bring changes to the noise influence in the future.
Noise and Non-noise Environmental Effects
Noise and other environmental activities are global problems. Essential developments in noise performance have been gained for the last twenty years, which have led to the phasing out of some forms of aircraft due to their noise level; for instance, the BAC1-11 has already been substituted by a quieter generation of airplanes. The majority of technological enhancements to date have resulted in the decline in noise emissions in the airports.
Birmingham Airport Limited identifies that there is a necessity to stabilize interdependent environmental effects. The airport aims to offer all-round environmental assistance recognizing that in particular instances, balance and cooperation should be obtained (Salah, 2014). Regulation by Birmingham Airport has led to the reduction of noise and emissions in the course of take-off, landing, and taxiing. Nonetheless, development in air travel has resulted in a rise in overall environmental effects locally and worldwide (Girvin, 2009).
Emissions produced by airplanes could influence the local air eminence and could lead to climatic changes (Girvin, 2009). Birmingham Airport is a contributor to maintainable aviation and endeavors to take an active function involving the recent publication of the Carbon Road Map, which emphasizes on the development of the aviation industry. Birmingham Airport Limited has ensured that aircraft engines, which produce a lot of noise, are well-organized and upheld. The airport has contributed to the implementation of the blended wing embedding engines to reduce noise. Noise from infrastructural operations, ground support vehicles, and other forms created by activities at the airports has been controlled to minimize negative effects (Girvin, 2009).
Health Effects of Aircraft Noise
There are numerous impacts on health from noise generated by airplanes. Cardiovascular impacts could rise as a result of stress instigated by noise and sleep disturbance. Distressed sleep patterns, in addition to conscious and untimely awakening, may take place and noise linked annoyance could lead to negative emotions. The noise could cause mental impairment in children, which may lead to a deficiency in the quality of life (Babisch & Van Kamp, 2009).
To enhance airport growth, it is essential to minimize the noise to measure the effects precisely for a genuine cost-benefit. An investigation of a planned development could be implemented to enhance the minimization of noise in the airport. In numerous cases, hedonistic processes of noise effects, for instance, dissimilarities in house prices in the noise open versus non-open communities are applied. The application of such methods could be essential due to environmental noise exposure (Babisch & Van Kamp, 2009).
Noise related to the operations in airports does not only influence people on the ground, but also those within the airplane (Babisch & Van Kamp, 2009). In the course of taxiing, as the airplane engines are creating minimum drive, the degree of noise is usually about 65 dB (A); this is about 20 decibels louder than the required levels. Replicated airplane noise at 65 dB (A) has been declared to negatively affect a person’s memory and reminiscence of auditory information.
Conclusion
Noise in airports could be disastrous if not handled in the correct method. Birmingham Airport has ensured that noise is controlled and reduced to avoid its effects. The airport is ensuring that in all aspects, noise is highly minimized. Birmingham Airport’s efforts to reduce the noise produced by airplanes and actions around the airfield are essential. Noise and other emissions affect the working conditions and health affairs of individuals negatively. In this regard, airports should develop effective strategies to reduce noise. Successful management of noise and other emissions in airports leads to the protection and maintenance of the environment.
References
Babisch, W., & Van Kamp, I. (2009). Exposure-response relationship of the association between aircraft noise and the risk of hypertension. Noise and Health, 11(44), 161.
Girvin, R. (2009). Aircraft noise-abatement and mitigation strategies. Journal of Air Transport Management, 15(1), 14-22.
Murphy, E., & King, E. A. (2010). Strategic environmental noise mapping: Methodological issues concerning the implementation of the EU Environmental Noise Directive and their policy implications. Environment international, 36(3), 290-298.
Netjasov, F. (2012). Contemporary measures for noise reduction in airport surroundings. Applied Acoustics, 73(10), 1076-1085.
Salah, K. (2014). Environmental impact reduction of commercial aircraft around airports: Less noise and less fuel consumption. European Transport Research Review, 6(1), 71-84.
Vogiatzis, K. (2012). Airport environmental noise mapping and land use management as an environmental protection action policy tool: The case of the Larnaka International Airport (Cyprus). Science of the Total Environment, 424, 162-173.