mp - chapter 13 - noise management.pdf

8/18/2019 MP - Chapter 13 - Noise Management.pdf

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13C H A P T E R

N O I S EM A N A G E M E N T

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greenhouse gas emissions. In 2007,the name of the Committee waschanged to the Community Environment and Noise Advisory Committee.

This committee provides a forum where community stakeholderscan meet with GTAA manage-ment and other aviation industry representatives to discuss issuesrelating to the mitigation of air-craft noise in the surrounding communities and the operation of Toronto Pearson in an environ-mentally responsible manner. TheCommunity Environment andNoise Advisory Committee acts inan advisory capacity to the GTAA,and is an important mechanism

for collecting community inputthat helps to continually improvethe GTAA’s Noise ManagementProgram.

Chapter 13 > N O I S E M AN AG EM EN T

N O I S E M A N A G E M E N T

Chapter 13

1 3 . 1 I N T R O D U C T I O N

While the GTAA maintains andpromotes Toronto Pearson Inter-national Airport as an economicasset for the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), it remains sensitive to theissue of aircraft noise and itseffects on surrounding communi-ties. Since assuming managementof Toronto Pearson, the GTAA hastaken a leadership role in themanagement and mitigation of aircraft noise for aircraft operating to and from Toronto Pearson within an 18.5 km (10 nauticalmile) radius of the Airport, inaccordance with its Ground Lease with the federal government.

The GTAA uses a number of strategies to manage aircraft noiseat Toronto Pearson. These includeprograms to operate TorontoPearson in a manner that mini-mizes aircraft noise impacts andpromotes compatible land use inthe vicinity of the Airport. In addi-tion, the GTAA has worked withother organizations to advocateand promote a reduction in air-craft noise levels at the sourcethrough the development of qui-eter engines and airframes, and by adopting policies to restrict theoperation of older, noisier aircraft.

These efforts are balanced withthe objective of ensuring sustain-able use of the Airport to supporteconomic development inthe GTA.

1 3 . 2 C O M M U N I T Y

CONSULTATION

The GTAA is committed to work-ing with communities on aircraftnoise issues through a number of initiatives including theCommunity Environment andNoise Advisory Committee(CENAC) and other public con-sultation forums.

13.2.1 Community Environment

and Noise Advisory CommitteeIn keeping with the GTAA’s sensi-tivity to the noise impact of airportoperations on the surrounding communities, and in compliance with the Ground Lease with thefederal government, the GTAA established the Noise Manage-ment Committee in 1996.Recently, the Committee’srole has evolved to alsoencompass other importantenvironmental impacts of airport operations that areof concern to the GTAA and local communities,such as air quality and


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The membership consists of resi-dent and elected representativesfrom the surrounding cities. TheCommittee is supported by tech-nical members from the GTAA,Transport Canada, Nav Canada,and the airline industry.

CENAC meetings are held on a regular basis and are open to thepublic.

13.2.2 Other Public ConsultationForums

In addition to the regularly sched-uled CENAC meetings, theGTAA hosts public workshopsand public forums. These sessions

provide an opportunity for anexchange of information betweenthe GTAA and residents regarding airport operations, environmentaland aircraft noise impacts as they relate to the Noise ManagementProgram. Interested community members are able to learn moreabout airport operations, and theGTAA gains valuable feedback

from residents impacted by those operations.

1 3 . 3 A I R C R A F T N O I S E

CERTIFICATION

The International Civil AviationOrganization (ICAO) has dened

a series of aircraft noise level cate-gories. Since the early 1970s,increasingly more stringent noisecategories have been introducedby ICAO with which aircraft andaircraft engine manufacturers have

had to comply. The evolution of these categories is described in thefollowing sections. Technicaldescriptions of the noise category requirements can be found inICAO Annex 16 (EnvironmentalProtection), Volume 1 (AircraftNoise), Fourth Edition, July 2005.

13.3.1 Non-Noise Certificated

and Chapter 2 AircraftThe initial category of noise cer-ticated aircraft was adopted by ICAO in 1971, and is known asChapter 2. All Chapter 2 aircrafttypes were certicated beforeOctober 6, 1977, such as theBoeing 727, McDonnell DouglasDC9 and older Boeing 737 air-craft. Aircraft that could not meetthe Chapter 2 noise standards areknown as non-noise certicated,including the Boeing 707.

13.3.2 Chapter 3 Aircraft

All new aircraft types certicatedon or after October 6, 1977, wererequired to meet the next cate-gory of noise standards, known as

Chapter 3. These include the Airbus 300, McDonnell DouglasDC10 and MD80, LockheedL1011 and Boeing 757, 767, andnewer 737 aircraft.

13.3.3 Chapter 2 Phase-out

A 1990 ICAO resolution calledfor member countries to phase outnon-noise certicated and Chap-ter 2 aircraft by the year 2002. Incompliance with the ICAO rec-ommendation, a TransportCanada Air Navigation Orderrequired airlines to phase out non-noise certicated and Chapter 2 jet aircraft with a maximum take-off weight greater than 34,000 kg by April 1, 2002. TransportCanada has issued exemptions toa very limited number of northernOntario operators of Chapter 2

jets for aircraft maintenancerequirements at Toronto Pearson.

Airlines met the Chapter 2 phase-out requirements by replacing non-compliant aircraft withChapter 3 aircraft and by modify-ing Chapter 2 aircraft to meetChapter 3 standards, by meanssuch as the installation of hushkitson the aircraft engines or thereplacement of the engines withquieter models.

Together with its community stakeholders, the GTAA actively advocated for the federal Chapter2 phase-out initiative through theToronto Pearson Noise Manage-ment Committee, now CENAC.The percentage of jet aircraft

operations at Toronto Pearson thatmeet Chapter 3 requirements hasincreased signicantly over recentyears, from 64 per cent in 1996, when the GTAA took over respon-sibility for the operation anddevelopment of Toronto Pearson,to virtually 100 per cent in 2006,

Chapter 3 Aircraft


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as illustrated in Figure 13-1. Thevery few non-certicated andChapter 2 operations that remainat the Airport (less than half of oneper cent in 2006) are associated with small jets under the weightclassication applicable to the

Chapter 2 phase-out order andmilitary operations.

Hushkitted aircraft, which tend tobe noisier than aircraft of a similarsize that were designed to meetChapter 3 standards, accountedfor as much as 15 per cent of jetoperations at Toronto Pearson in2001, but have since decreased toapproximately two per cent of jet

operations in 2006.

13.3.4 Chapter 4 Aircraft

In 2001, ICAO adopted the latestand most stringent category of noise standards to date, known asChapter 4. All new aircraft typescerticated on or after January 1,2006, including the new Airbus

A380 and Boeing 787 aircraft, arerequired to comply with the new Chapter 4 standards. In addition,some of the quieter Chapter 3 air-craft in operation prior to 2006,including the Airbus A320, A330and A340, Boeing 777 and new

models of the Boeing 737 and 747aircraft, meet the tougher Chap-ter 4 standards. Due to the fre-quent use of these quieter aircrafttypes at Toronto Pearson, approxi-mately 80 per cent of the Airport’s jet aircraft operations in 2006 met

the more stringent Chapter 4 stan-dards. ICAO has not issued, norexpressed an intention to issue, a resolution calling upon membercountries to phase out Chapter 3aircraft as they previously had withChapter 2 aircraft.

1 3 . 4 N O I S E M A N A G E M E N T

P R O G R A M

The GTAA has developed andmaintains a comprehensive NoiseManagement Program. The pro-gram consists of a number of site-specic operational initiativesintroduced to minimize the impactof aircraft noise on the surround-ing communities. The primary ele-ments of the Noise ManagementProgram are described in the following sections.

13.4.1 Night Flight Restrictions

A night ight restriction programhas been implemented at TorontoPearson to minimize aircraft noise

during the most sensitive night-time period. Toronto Pearson hasthe most restrictive night ightrestriction program in Canada.

Through an arrangement withTransport Canada, limits havebeen placed on the total numberof annual ights that may occurduring the restricted hours from12:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. to ensurethat the number of ights during this restricted time remainsproportional to overall trafc lev-els. The GTAA carefully managesnighttime ights to ensure thatthe annual limit is not exceeded.

Toronto Pearson is the only air-port in Canada that has an annualnighttime operations budget.

Restrictions on the hours of oper-ation are shown in Table 13-1.Restrictions are more stringent fornoisier categories of aircraft.

Operating extensions may begranted within the restricted hours

on the day of operation for ightsdelayed by weather, emergencies,air trafc control issues, ormechanical difculties, but only for Chapter 3 or 4 aircraft. Inaddition, a limited number of exemptions for Chapter 3 or 4operations may be approved inadvance, depending on the ability of the GTAA to remain within the

annual nighttime budget.

01020

30405060708090

100

20062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990198919881987198619851984198319821981

Percentage of Chapter 3 Jet Operations at Toronto Pearson

FIGURE 13-1

% C

h a p t e r

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Previously, the restricted hoursof operation only applied to jetaircraft weighing more than34,000 kg (74,970 lbs). As a result, the GTAA was not able tolimit the number of operations of smaller jet or propeller aircraftduring the restricted hours, many of which were noisy and createdsignicant community impacts.This problem was rectied in 2004

when, with the support of com-munity stakeholders and the NoiseManagement Committee, theGTAA was successful in amending Toronto Pearson’s night ightrestrictions to include all aircraft,regardless of weight or engine type.

The GTAA continually monitorsadherence to the annual nighttimebudget of restricted hour move-ments, and approves operating extensions subject to the Airport’sability to remain within thebudget.

13.4.2 Preferential RunwayUtilization

The GTAA uses a preferentialrunway system to minimize theimpact of aircraft noise at night, when the surrounding residentialcommunities are most sensitive tonoise. In effect from midnight to6:30 a.m., the system utilizesapproved ight paths that impactthe fewest people.

The preferred runways, in order of priority, are Runways 23, 33R,and 24R for departures, andRunways 05, 15L, and 06L forarrivals. Non-preferential runway use during these hours is limitedas much as possible, but may benecessary due to weather, aireldmaintenance, or other operationalcircumstances.

13.4.3 Noise AbatementProcedures

Noise abatement procedures havebeen developed at Toronto Pearsonfor both arrivals and departures toreduce the impact of aircraft noise.

Arrival procedures include altituderestrictions prior to lining up withthe runway, and the requirementfor aircraft to maintain a three-degree angle of descent on nalapproach to the runway and tominimize the use of reverse thrustas a means to slow the aircraftafter touchdown. Departure pro-cedures include restrictions onpower settings, specied ightpaths, minimum turning altitudes,and speed restrictions.

Noise abatement procedures apply to jet aircraft at all times, and topropeller aircraft between 11 p.m.and 7 a.m. Unless safety is inquestion, pilots are required to fol-low the GTAA noise abatementprocedures.

The Preferential Runway Utiliza-tion and Noise Abatement Proce-dures elements of the NoiseManagement Program have beendesigned to minimize aircraftnoise impacts on the surrounding

communities, but these proce-dures also result in increased air-craft fuel burn and emissions. It isanticipated that potential tradeoffsbetween noise and emissions willbe of signicant interest in thefuture as community concernsregarding air quality and green-house gas emissions continueto rise.

13.4.4 Engine Run-Ups

Occasionally, airline maintenancestaff must perform engine run-upsafter engine repairs have beencompleted. At all times, these run-ups must be approved by theGTAA in advance and conductedat designated times and locationsto minimize their impact on thesurrounding communities.Between midnight and 7 a.m.,engine run-ups are approved only for aircraft scheduled to departthat morning. Additionally, enginerun-ups are prohibited for allChapter 2 aircraft betweenmidnight and 5 a.m.

RESTRICTED HOURS OF OPERATION

Non-Noise Certicated 8 p.m.– 8 a.m.Chapter 2 12 a.m.– 7 a.m.Chapter 3* 12:30 a.m.– 6:30 a.m.

TABLE 13-1

*Chapter 3 restricted hours also apply to Chapter 4 aircraft



13.4.5 Noise Complaints and

EnforcementThe GTAA Noise ManagementOfce monitors compliance with the Airport’s Noise Manage-ment Program. Staff use the Airport Noise Monitoring andFlight Tracking System which cor-relates aircraft radar data fromNav Canada with noise readingscollected from a system of 22 noise monitoring terminals inthe surrounding communities.The locations of the noise moni-toring terminals are shown inFigure 13-2.

In addition, GTAA staff register,investigate, and respond to aircraftnoise complaints received fromthe public. A total of 1,920 noisecomplaints were logged by theNoise Management Ofce in2006, down from a high of approximately 7,700 in 1998.

The GTAA Noise ManagementOfce undertakes investigations of potential violations of the GTAA

Noise Management Program, which may arise from registeredcomplaints or ongoing monitoring carried out by the GTAA. If aninvestigation indicates that a viola-tion has occurred, the details of

the case are provided to TransportCanada for further action, as only the federal government has theauthority to impose nancialpenalties on aircraft operators. TheGTAA and the Noise Manage-ment Committee worked pro-actively to encourage TransportCanada to publicly identify airlinesand pilots ned as a result of a violation of the noise abatementprocedures so that the public canmake informed choices.

The primary goal of the enforce-ment function is to promoteadherence to the GTAA NoiseManagement Program througheffective communication andeducation with the aviation community.

1 3 . 5 R E G U L AT I O N O F

L AN D U SE

An important way to minimizethe impact of aircraft noise isthrough proper land use planning in the vicinity of the Airport.

The GTAA participates in theland use planning process on a

local level through the review of Ofcial Plans and developmentapplications. The GTAA alsoliaises with the provincial and federal governments on mattersrelated to land use policy. TheGTAA can only participate in this

process in an advisory role, asland use is a municipal andprovincial jurisdiction.

13.5.1 Noise Quantification

Transport Canada’s Noise Expo-sure Forecast (NEF) model is theofcial methodology used inCanada to quantify noise expo-sure in the vicinity of airports forland use planning purposes. Theresulting NEF value represents a cumulative noise index whichquanties long-term aircraft noiseexposure over a busy summer day when both aircraft noise levelsand community sensitivity tonoise tend to be maximal.

In addition to the number of arrivals and departures at the Airport, the NEF model also takesinto consideration the mix of air-craft types used by the operators,the distribution of the arrivals anddepartures across the various run-

ways and the site specic arrivaland departure procedures. To

Aircraft Noise Monitoring Terminal

Monitoring Aircraft Noise Readings



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account for the greater sensitivity toward aircraft noise during night-time, the NEF model also appliesa penalty to all night operations.

The resulting NEF values in thevicinity of an airport are com-monly depicted by means of con-tour lines connecting points of equal noise exposure. It is impor-tant to note that the NEF numberassociated with a contour linedoes not represent a decibel levelfor an individual ight, but rathera cumulative noise index of theoverall noise environment that hasbeen correlated to community noise annoyance levels.

Contour maps that forecast noiseexposure ve to 10 years in thefuture are referred to as NEF con-tour maps. Noise Exposure Pro jec-tion (NEP) contour maps aresimilar in nature, and are pro-duced using the same model, butshow projected noise exposure upto 20 years into the future.

13.5.2 Federal Land UseGuidelines

The Transport Canada publica-tion “Land Use in the Vicinity of Airports” (last amended May 2005) discusses the impact of air-craft noise in the vicinity of

airports, and presents the federalgovernment’s recommended landuse guidelines to encourage com-patible land use near airports.

The Transport Canada guidelinesindicate that the impacts of aircraftnoise may begin as low as 25 NEF/NEP, and that areas around exist-ing airports exposed to 30 NEF/NEP or greater are incompatiblefor noise sensitive land uses suchas residential development.

The GTAA actively supports thefederal land use guidelines, andencourages their application in thelocal jurisdictions aroundToronto Pearson.

13.5.3 Provincial Land UsePolicies

The Transport Canada guidelines,however, are merely recommenda-tions, since land use is a municipal

and provincial jurisdiction. InOntario, the Provincial Policy Statement (last amended March2005) contains land use policiesprohibiting new residential develop-ment and other sensitive land uses

within the 30 NEF/NEP contourline, consistent with the TransportCanada guidelines.

13.5.4 Toronto PearsonComposite Contour

Toronto Pearson has an approvedNEF contour map (2000 NEF) as well as an approved NEP contourmap (1996 NEP). The outer enve-lope, or “composite”, of the twocontour maps is used for land useplanning purposes, thereby pro-tecting for the worst case of thetwo noise situations. This com-bined NEF/NEP contour map forToronto Pearson is referred to asthe “Composite Contour”, and isillustrated in Figure 13-3.

The impact of the compositenoise contour on the surrounding communities can be seen inTable 13-2, which provides thearea and population within eachcontour band.

COMPOSITE CONTOUR AREA/POPULATIONContour Band Area (km2) Population(1)

40 + 20 80035 – 40 27 2,20030 – 35 64 52,00025 – 30 129 342,000

Total 240 397,000

TABLE 13-2

(1)The population counts are based on the 2006 Statistics Canada census.



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The Composite Contour providessufcient protection for the noiseexposure resulting from the opera-tion of the present and planned

runways at the Airport, and istherefore appropriate for land useplanning purposes.

13.5.5 Airport Operating Area

For ease of implementation of theprovincial land use policies fornoise sensitive land uses, the



GTAA, in conjunction with thelocal municipalities, has dened a xed Airport Operating Area (AOA) based on the 30 NEF/NEPcontour of the CompositeContour. The AOA perimeterapproximates the location of the30 NEF/NEP line by following

readily identiable natural (water- ways), transportation (roads, raillines) and planning (property boundaries, and land use desig-nation boundaries) features.

The boundaries of the AOA within the Region of Peel werereected in the September 1998Region of Peel Ofcial Plan. Theboundaries of the AOA in the

City of Toronto were identied within the City of Toronto’s 2002Ofcial Plan. These ofcial plansestablish policies restricting thedevelopment of new noise sensi-tive land uses within the AOA.

The AOA, illustrated in Figure13-4, encompasses an area of approximately 123 km2 and a population of approximately 57,000 based on the 2006 census.

The AOA establishes and stabilizesthe noise impact area for the pur-pose of land use planning, whichbenets both the air carriers andthe surrounding communities.

The GTAA will continue to work with the provincial governmentand local municipalities to ensurethat new land uses within the AOA are compatible with airportoperations, and will vigorously oppose development that wouldbe sensitive to aircraft noise.

13.5.6 Developer NoiseAgreements

Contrary to the GTAA’s recom-mendation, some areas insidethe 30 NEF/NEP line of the

Composite Contour wereexempted from the policies of the AOA by the Ontario MunicipalBoard, on the basis that the appli-cations for development predateda 1997 amendment to the

Provincial Policy Statementthat changed the threshold fornoise sensitive land uses from35 NEF/NEP to the current levelof 30 NEF/NEP.

With no mechanism available toprevent incompatible residentialdevelopment in these AOA exemptareas, the GTAA responded by negotiating a number of noise

agreements with the developersand the City of Mississauga toforewarn prospective purchasers of the potential aircraft noise prob-lem and to mitigate noise intru-sion into these homes to theextent possible.

These agreements require aircraftnoise warnings to be providedon signs at sales sites, in salesinformation given to prospectivepurchasers, in the Agreement of Purchase and Sale, and on perma-nent signs in the communities inan attempt to deter noise sensitivepeople from purchasing a homein these noise impacted areas.The agreements also require the

Aircraft Noise Warning Sign



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incorporation of noise mitigationmeasures into the home design,such as central air conditioning and a higher standard of con-struction offering a higher degree

of noise attenuation than is normally required.

It must be recognized, however,that these measures are by nomeans as effective as preventing

residential construction withinincompatible areas in the rstplace, as the GTAA had pro-posed at the time the AOA wasestablished.


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13.5.7 Future Operations

Studies conducted for the environ-mental assessment associated withthe addition of new runways at

Toronto Pearson indicated thatthere would be little change inthe noise environment around the Airport resulting from the addi-tion of the planned sixth andnal runway, namely 05R-23L. While the primary objective of adding Runway 05R-23L wouldbe to increase the aireld capacity of the Airport to meet the future

aviation demand of the region,the mitigation of aircraft noiseimpacts in the vicinity of the Airport was also a key considera-tion in the siting of this futurerunway.

As has been discussed in Chapter 5,the planned sixth runway wouldbe parallel to and closely spacedfrom existing Runway 05-23 (tobe renamed 05L-23R), similar tothe existing pair of closely spacedparallel runways at the south sideof the Airport (06L-24R and06R-24L). As a result, the ightpaths associated with futureRunway 05R-23L would be simi-lar to those associated with existing Runway 05-23, thereby mini-mizing potential noise impacts.

In addition, as noted in Chapter 5,the sixth run way is not expected tobe required until sometime in the2013-2019 time period, depending on the rate of trafc growth. Overthe intervening years, the aircrafteet mix at Toronto Pearson will

continue to evolve, including a continued decline in the use of theolder and noisier Chapter 3 air-craft, particularly the Chapter 2aircraft that were hushkitted tomeet Chapter 3 standards, and a

continued increase in the use of aircraft that meet the most strin-gent Chapter 4 noise standards.

Due to the location of plannedRunway 05R-23L, and theexpected timeframe for its con-struction, it is anticipated that any potential expansion of the noisecontours attributable to its opera-tion would be offset by the con-

tinued conversion of the eet mix to quieter aircraft.

Consequently, the continuedapplication of the Airport’s currentComposite Contour and AOA forland use planning purposes isexpected to adequately reect theaircraft noise environment result-ing from the future operation of the six-runway system atToronto Pearson.

Departing A330

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