Optimization of Takeoff Departure Procedures for Airport Noise Mitigation

Abstract

The environmental effects of aviation, particularly community noise exposure, is one of the major barriers to a sustainable growth in passenger air traffic. With an increasing number of aircraft operations and growing urban population, several major airports around the world have implemented various noise mitigation strategies. One such mitigation strategy is to optimize the departure procedures utilized by aircraft for performing takeoff operations. Present-day noise abatement departure procedures are developed by airlines under the guidance of the International Civil Aviation Organization and regulatory entities such as the Federal Aviation Administration. These procedures are generally limited to two per aircraft type and are therefore developed for averaged flight conditions. A generic methodology has been developed here which accounts for external parameters, such as the elevation and weather conditions at the departure airport, and aims to design optimal departure procedures per set of external conditions. By retaining these variables in the procedure design process, their influence on various metrics of interest can be studied. A case study is performed using three different airports each at a standard day and a hot day weather condition. Noise metrics are evaluated at four locations relative to the runway. Fuel consumption is also calculated to account for airline operating costs. The results show that the optimality of a procedure is sensitive on both external factors, as well as metrics being evaluated. While some noise metrics require a tradeoff with fuel consumption over a set of pareto optimal solutions, at certain locations, the two are optimized simultaneously by a single procedure.

A Rapid Surrogate Model for Estimating Aviation Noise Impact across Various Departure Profiles and Operating Conditions

“…Most noise models account for these factors by defining the airport of operation through its elevation above mean sea level and a weather profile. Accounting for the weather and elevation is important in aviation noise modeling and optimization [15]. The ambient temperature, for example, is one of the most dominant factors when modeling aviation noise [16,17].…”

Managing Airline Emissions, Noise, and Bird Strikes: Passengers’ Perspectives on Airlines’ Extrinsic and Intrinsic Environmental Practices

“…A growing body of scholarship underscores the adverse impacts of airport noise pollution on surrounding communities. Optimized takeoff procedures devised by Behere and Mavris [30] demonstrate the potential to reduce affected populations by a high percentage. However, projections by Pretto et al [31] suggest that annoyance will proliferate amid expanding aviation activity.…”

An Experimental and Analytical Approach to Evaluate Transponder-Based Aircraft Noise Monitoring Technology

“…The Aviation Environmental Design Tool (AEDT) has been a cornerstone in aviation environmental impact assessment in the U.S., particularly at airports where The Aviation Environmental Design Tool (AEDT) has been a cornerstone in aviation environmental impact assessment in the U.S., particularly at airports where comprehensive aircraft operation and fleet mix data are readily available [11,12,17]. Researchers have explored strategies for optimizing aircraft departure and arrival procedures to enhance aviation environmental impact assessments, heavily relying on AEDT [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31]. Notably, Behere et al [30] pioneered a data-driven approach to refining noise assessments using AEDT and openly accessible surveillance data.…”