Noise abatement: Assessment after a year of monitoring

The Airport and Region Forum (Forum Flughafen und Region, FFR) has presented its first monitoring report on the active noise abatement measures at Frankfurt Airport in Germany. For a number of years Oeko-Institut has been accompanying and providing expert advice for the process between the aviation industry and those concerned in the Rhein-Main region.

The goal: less noise in the Frankfurt am Main area

The declared objective is to adopt new approaches for keeping the noise pollution as low as possible in view of the airport’s expansion. Under the umbrella of a package of measures on active noise abatement [only in German Language] seven separate measures were presented in the summer of 2010 in a bid to reduce aircraft noise levels in and around Frankfurt Airport. The finding after 18 months of operational testing: active noise abatement is feasible and entails measurable benefits for residents of the area.

Since Frankfurt is undeniably a forerunner in this respect, all partici-pants are breaking new ground, both in terms of the measures and with regard to the monitoring. It is also evident that further work needs to be conducted on active noise abatement with the aim of reducing as far as possible noise pollution in the region, which is growing with the increasing air transport.

It is not possible to introduce one large measure that is decisive for combating noise pollution. Rather, it is a case of taking the strenuous path of small, but continuous steps, of further pushing the boundaries of technological feasibility, and of developing innovative procedures for adding noise abatement to the goals of safety and necessary capacity.

For a detailed presentation of the monitoring results for the first package of measures on active noise abatement, please click here [available in German only].

Contact

Regine Barth 
Head of Environmental Law & Governance Division 
Oeko-Institut e.V., Darmstadt office 
Tel. +49-6151/8191-131 
E-Mail 

Silvia Schütte Researcher Environmental Law & Governance Oeko-Institut e.V., Darmstadt office Tel. +49-6151/8191-134 E-Mail