Reduction of commercial aircraft noise emission around airports. A new environmental challenge

Noise abatement procedures (NAPs) are considered as a necessary measure for a balanced approach of noise control around airports. Their correct implementation depends upon many factors, which vary in operation and influence the efficiency of the NAPs. Any system, which defines the correct features of the NAPs for particular aircraft in specific conditions, would be useful for noise control. Thus, implementation of noise level monitoring systems, currently used around airports, gives a noise map in residential areas but cannot identify source frequencies and their impact on the environment. Consequently, this paper has been produced particularly to characterize the frequential aspect of aircraft noise emission. Its main objective is the analysis of the dominant frequencies emitted during approaches to the Lyon Saint-Exupéry International Airport (France) having a negative impact on the population living around this airport. Thus, the results obtained make it possible to show, through an empirical model of aircraft noise, the effectiveness of this experimental work. © European Conference of Transport Research Institutes (ECTRI) 2009.