Noise-reduction proposals at East Coast airport include ban on Stage 2 jets and large business aircraft
Just weeks after a court upheld the ban on Stage 2 jets at a Florida airport, the operator of New York’s busiest business-aviation airport is proposing to ban noisier and larger aircraft. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has announced noise-reduction measures at Teterboro airport in New Jersey that include introducing a ban on Stage 2 jets by 1 September.
In June, the US Court of Appeals upheld the ban on Stage 2 jets at Naples Municipal in Florida, giving impetus to efforts by other airport operators to outlaw older, noisier aircraft. Teterboro already prohibits Stage 1 jets as well as aircraft over 45,360kg (100,000lb) gross weight – a measure specifically aimed at the 737-based Boeing Business Jet.
The new proposals would ban Stage 2 jets and aircraft over 36,290kg – the latter restriction affecting large business jets such as the Bombardier Global Express and Gulfstream G550, even though these aircraft operate within Stage 3 noise limits. The Port Authority also wants to ban overnight courier flights by the US Federal Reserve and other financial institutions, a move it says would nearly halve flying between midnight and 06.00. Local politicians are also pushing for a 25% reduction in flights at Teterboro.
Any restrictions will have to be approved by the US Federal Aviation Administration, as Teterboro receives government airport improvement funding. The FAA had withheld federal funds from Naples, arguing its Stage 2 prohibition was unreasonable, but will not appeal against the court decision to uphold the ban.
The operator of Van Nuys airport in Los Angeles, California has launched noise studies required to justify further access restrictions. The study will cover noise-control measures ranging from fines for noise-abatement violations to a possible cap on or phase-out of helicopter operations.
- California’s Santa Monica airport has agreed to suspend landing fees for business aircraft and replace them with a new scheme under which aircraft based at the airport would not pay landing charges, but would pay tie-down, facility rental and fuel-flowage fees.
GRAHAM WARWIVK/WASHINGTON DC
Source: Flight International
