Three experts in noise control have urged An Bord Pleanála to retain a proposed rule that would limit night-time flights at Dublin Airport, calling it “an absolute necessity” to manage health effects from the noise of low-flying planes.
The three academics, who have expertise in acoustics, noise control, mechanical engineering and urban planning, said in a letter to the board that the absence of a movement limit for aircraft would mean “some aircraft could operate without restriction, undermining the system’s intent to reduce noise impacts”.
Eoin King, a lecturer in mechanical engineering at NUI Galway, John Kennedy, an assistant professor of engineering at Trinity College Dublin, and Enda Murphy, a professor at the school of architecture, planning and environmental policy at UCD, made their observations as part of the board’s public consultation.
They said the board’s proposed conditions were “a positive step forward” that “not only provides greater flexibility during the busy summer months but also aligns with best practices for managing airport noise”.
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[ What the Dublin Airport passenger cap ruling means, and what happens nextOpens in new window ]
The subject of how many flights are permitted into and out of Dublin Airport has been a source of controversy in recent years, generating planning battles and High Court cases and planning battles related to both the airport’s passenger cap of 32 million and the noise limits attached to the use of its runways.
In September, the planning board issued a draft ruling proposing to remove the cap on night-time flights at the airport and replace it with an annual noise quota in conjunction with seasonal aircraft movement limits. The decision replaced the current arrangement where Dublin Airport is limited to 65 or fewer flights between the hours of 11pm and 7am each night with a limit of 13,000 flights annually, split between 9,100 in summer and 3,900 in winter.
The DAA, which operates Dublin Airport, has opposed the condition on movement limits, claiming it was “a backward step that will significantly impact aviation and passenger numbers”.
Ryanair and Aer Lingus have also opposed the proposed condition.
The three academics, however, insist that the movement limit is necessary.
[ Dublin Airport seeks immediate passenger cap increase to 36mOpens in new window ]
In their letter to the board, they “urge the authority to adopt robust noise management policies in the final decision, as these measures are essential to protecting public health and community wellbeing”.
In their analysis, they say the health impacts of aircraft noise include “chronic annoyance, sleep disturbances, cardiovascular issues (like hypertension and heart disease), and cognitive impairments in children”.
A noise quota and an associated movement limit would encourage the use of quieter aircraft, they say, since “planes with lower noise levels can operate more frequently, but the total number of flights remains restricted”.
They argue that without the condition requiring a movement limit, “the extremely high proposed [Noise Quota System] limit of 16,260″ could allow “some aircraft [to] operate without restriction, undermining the system’s intent to reduce noise impacts”.
In their letter, they state that while “several parties have criticised the introduction of a movement limit in the draft decision, these objections appear to stem from misunderstandings of how a Noise Quota System operates in conjunction with a movement limit, as it does so in other jurisdictions”.
They note that the system proposed by the planning board is in line with other cities, in London and elsewhere in the United Kingdom, where three airports — Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted are governed by a noise quota in conjunction with a movement limit.
If Dublin Airport operated with a noise quota limit alone, without an associated movement limit, the noise quota would “[far exceed] the figures presented for the London airports”, they say.
The planning board issued the draft decision in September and opened it up for public submissions or observations until December 23rd.
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