Southampton Airport - Managing Noise

Southampton AirportManaging noise

2 Southampton Airport | Managing noise

Introduction

SouthamptonAirport is athriving, regionalairport whichsupports thegrowingcommercial, leisureand cultural

success of the region. Over 1,200people work at Southampton Airportfor 30 different companies, and itseconomic contribution to the region isin excess of £86 million per year.However, I know how important it isto balance the social and economicbenefits against any negative impacts,such as noise, that our business mayhave on its local community. It is ourdesire – working in partnership withthe airlines and National Air TrafficServices, known as NATS (who provideair traffic control), to manage theimpacts of noise. What does thismean? It means we can’t stop noisecompletely, but we will work toidentify ways that it can be managed.We will also provide useful and clearinformation, and answer yourconcerns where possible. This bookletaims to provide helpful informationabout the way aircraft operate in theairspace that surrounds SouthamptonAirport.

We hope that the informationcontained within this booklet is usefulto you, but please feel free to contactour dedicated Noise & FlightEvaluation Unit if you would like todiscuss a specific issue. SouthamptonAirport prides itself on working inpartnership with local communitiesand key stakeholders to ensure thatthe airport operates safely, securelyand responsibly. We willingly acceptour role within the local community,and are committed to being aresponsible neighbour.

Chris ButlerManaging DirectorSouthampton Airport

This brochure hasbeen produced bythe TechnicalWorking Group,which is a sub-group of theSouthamptonAirport

Consultative Committee. The aim is toprovide clear information regardingthe management of aircraft noise atSouthampton Airport, for people livingnearby.

The Consultative Committee meetsthree times a year, to review theairport’s latest developments, monitorthe airport’s adherence to regulationswhich minimise noise, as well asevaluate the levels of communityfeedback received by the airport’sdedicated Noise & Flight EvaluationUnit. The committee has 26 members,consisting of a range of stakeholdersincluding local councillors and officers,resident associations, disability groups,industry bodies and airport users. TheConsultative Committee isindependently chaired, with thefollowing purpose:

• To act as a means of consultation inrelation to Southampton Airport inaccordance with the provisions ofSection 35 of the Civil Aviation Act1982.

• It allows the concerns of interestedparties to be raised and taken intoaccount by the airport operator,with a genuine desire on all sides toresolve any issues that may emerge.

The Technical Working Group hasbeen established to provide technicalguidance and advice to theConsultative Committee on measuresto minimise the disturbance tocommunities around SouthamptonAirport. This focuses primarily onissues relating to aircraft noise, arisingfrom airport operational activity.Members of the group include:

• National Air Traffic Services (NATS)

• Consultative Committee Chair• Representation from one or more of

the base airlines• Southampton Airport operational

experts• Local authority technical officers

from Eastleigh Borough Council,Southampton City Council andWinchester City Council.

If you would like further informationon the Southampton AirportConsultative Committee, please findthe contact details on the reverse ofthis document.

Tony BalcombeChairmanSouthampton Airport ConsultativeCommittee

Tony Balcombe Chris Butler

Southampton Airport | Managing noise 3

Controls that minimise noise

Southampton Airport adheres to astrict agreement, which since itsinception in 1990 has beendesigned to minimise the impact ofthe airport operation on the localcommunity. This agreement wascreated in consultation withEastleigh Borough Council, and islegally binding. It includes:

Night time closureThere are very strict limits on thenumber of scheduled night flightsthat we may operate during thenight period. We define the nightperiod from 23:00 to 06:00, or to07:30 on Sunday mornings. Theairport is permitted to operate 10scheduled night flights per month,but not more than 100 in any 12month period. However,occasionally flights operate duringthese times for unexpected reasonssuch as poor weather or as a resultof en route air traffic controldelays. Additionally someambulance flights carrying patientsor transporting donor organs areaccepted during night hours, foremergency medical reasons.

Noise preferred routeing of aircraftNoise preferred routes fordeparting aircraft and for aircraftarriving ‘visually’ (in good visibility)have been agreed with EastleighBorough Council and inconsultation with localcommunities. These routeingsdivert aircraft away from the mostdensely populated areas where it ispossible to do so. The airportensures, as far as is reasonablypractical, that aircraft using theairport adhere to the preferredroutes. There are howeveroccasions when the noise preferredroutes cannot be followed byaircraft and examples of this arethe avoidance of poor weather(thunder storms) or other air trafficin the area. Noise preferredrouteings are constantly keptunder review.

Strict limits on helicoptermovementsThe annual number of daytimehelicopter movements is restricted,and helicopter movements arebanned during night hours, inorder to minimise the noise for ourneighbours.

Ban on noisier types of aircraftNoisier aircraft which do not meetstrict industry standards, referredto as ICAO ‘Chapter 3’, are notpermitted to visit SouthamptonAirport. The airport was one of thefirst airports in the country to banaircraft that do not meet thisstandard.

Strict limits on aircraft trainingmovementsThe number of flying trainingmovements is restricted. Althoughsome flying training takes placethis has significantly reduced inrecent years.

Engine ground runningThere are strict limits on the times,the location and the number ofoccasions that aircraft engineground running can take place,which is required for enginetesting. No engine ground runningis permitted during night hours.

This agreement is of greatsignificance in order to minimisethe impact of aircraft noise on thelocal community and providesgovernance on the way that weoperate the airport in the interestsof the local community. Monitoringand reporting against theseregulations are undertaken at theSouthampton Airport ConsultativeCommittee.

An aircraftmovement isdefined as onearrival or onedeparture.

Backgroundinformation

Around 100 years ago, in1910, the first aircraft tookoff from an area of flat landwhich has now beendeveloped into SouthamptonAirport. Around 2 millionpassengers use the airporteach year, travelling to over45 destinations throughoutmainland Europe, theChannel Islands, and the UK.There are currently around160 flights and 5,000passengers per day.

Most aircraft that fly in andout of Southampton Airportare modern, regionalaircraft, such as the Embraer195 (118 seats), the Dash 8Q400 (78 seats), and theEmbraer 145 (49 seats).

Over a third of passengersusing Southampton Airportare on business, withanother third visiting friendsand relatives. The rest of thepassengers travel for a rangeof reasons including goingon independent holidays.

Aircraft routeing

Aircraft routes have been developed inconsultation with local stakeholders,with the aim of minimising the noiseimpact on local people, and divertingaircraft away from populated areas asfar as practical.

Aircraft depart Southampton Airport

Official launch of Flybe’s Embraer 195 aircraft


on noise preferred routeings, whichare shown on page 6.

Aircraft arriving at SouthamptonAirport use a range of specialistapproach guidance systems, asdescribed below and illustrated onpage 7.

Approach guidance systems for aircraftInstrument Landing System (ILS)Approach (Arrivals from the north)

The ILS emits 2 radio beams, whichextend approximately 20 nautical milesto the north.One beam ensures theaircraft is aligned with the runwaycentreline.The other provides a glide-path for aircraft to descend at a 3.1ºangle towards the airfield.

This is an important system, as itallows aircraft to land in low visibility,such as when there is cloud cover.

This is the main method ofapproaching the airport from thenorth.

VOR (Radio Beacon) Approach(Arrivals from the south)

VOR – Very high frequency Omni-directional Range finder. (RadioBeacon)

The VOR emits a radio signal allowingaircraft to align onto the correctapproach path from the south.Thissignal is a straight line, which is offsetfrom the runway centreline, as shownon page 7.

Aircraft will continue on this routeuntil the pilots can see the runway andposition the aircraft with the runwaycentreline.The point of this alignmentwill vary depending on weatherconditions, such as cloud cover andrain etc.

Aircraft arriving at SouthamptonAirport are directed by NATS whichtells the pilots which course to steer,and heights to fly, until the aircraftintercepts the appropriate approachguidance.

It is important to note that there arealso other instrument approachesfollowing different paths which willoccasionally be used, such as whenthe ILS is having maintenance work.

When the weather is good an aircraftmay make a visual approach. This iswhere the pilot takes responsibility forthe routeing, and visually lines up theaircraft with the runway centreline.Theadvantage to this is that the aircraftwill land sooner, using less fuel.However, these approaches arebecoming less common atSouthampton Airport in order to letNATS efficiently sequence the flow ofaircraft.

ILS – Instrument Landing System

VOR – Radio Beacon

Noise preferred routeings

Aircraft Departing to the NorthAircraft departing in a northerlydirection are required to continuealong the runway heading (track) untilreaching two and a half miles from theend of the runway. This avoidsoverflying the village of Bishopstoke tothe north east, and densely populatedareas of Eastleigh and Chandler’s Fordto the north west. After this pointaircraft will then route as directed byNATS.

Aircraft Arriving from the North(Runway 20)Non-Visual Approach (usingspecialist navigation equipment):Aircraft will join the standard approachpath from no less than 8 nautical milesand at a constant 3.1° angle ofapproach.Visual Approach: Aircraft making avisual approach will be aligned withthe centre line of the runway from notless than 2 nautical miles whenarriving from a southerly point oforigin, and at 5 nautical miles whenfrom northerly, easterly or westerlydirections.

Aircraft Departing to the SouthAircraft taking off to the south willclimb straight ahead to 500ft abovemean sea level, then turn right tofollow a 217° heading. This headingwill be maintained until reachingSouthampton Water or 2000ft abovemean sea level, whichever is reachedfirst. The exact point at which aircraftreach 500ft and subsequently turn,will vary depending on many factors,such as engine type, aircraft weightand weather conditions.

Aircraft Arriving from the South(Runway 02)Non-Visual Approach (usingspecialist navigation equipment):Please see above for VOR (RadioBeacon) Approach.Visual Approach: The point at whichaircraft are required to be onalignment with the runway’s centreline, when making a visual approachhas been moved outwards from twomiles to four miles. This aims to reducelower-level over flying of parts ofurban Southampton. Aircraft now jointhe approach path over the less-densely populated SouthamptonWater area to manoeuvre onto therunway centre line for arrival. Theaircraft are then required to follow a3º angle of approach for operationalreasons.

Exclusions from Noise PreferredRoutesThese routes do not mean thatbenefiting areas will avoid beingoverflown completely, as there areconditions when noise preferred routeswill not be flown. These include:

Type of aircraftThese routes only apply to commercialaircraft above 5700kgs and to all jetaircraft. Smaller aircraft types, such asthe Trislander aircraft, smaller propelleraircraft and helicopters will not followthese routes as this would result insignificantly increased journey timesand increased fuel usage.

Operational activityOccasionally aircraft will be directed byNATS not to fly the Noise PreferredRoute due to weather conditions,other air traffic in the area, or foraircraft performance reasons.

In addition, communities around theairport are likely to see and hearaircraft even if they do not fly directlyoverhead.

Direction of runway use

Southampton Airport has one runway.The direction that aircraft land ordepart depends on the wind directionat the time. This can change severaltimes in a day. Due to prevailing southwest winds, around 60% of aircraftmovements arrive from the north anddepart to the south. However, thedirection of runway use is balancedwherever possible, in order tominimise the impact of noisedisturbance on any one part of thecommunity.

If aircraft land from the north ordepart to the south i.e. from theEastleigh end, in aviation terms theyare described as using runway 20. Ifaircraft land from the south or departto the north i.e. from theSouthampton end, they are describedas using runway 02. These runwaynumbers are clearly marked at bothends of the runway, as shown above.

Runway markings



Departures from Southampton Airport

Southampton Airport

The map is for illustrative purposes only. The map shows the main areas that are overflown byaircraft departing from Southampton Airport. Other aircraft may be seen flying in the region enroute to other airports and airfields, including; Bournemouth, Heathrow, Gatwick, Lee-on-Solent,Lower Upham, Bembridge, Goodwood, Popham, Old Sarum, Thruxton and RAF Odiham.


Arrivals at Southampton Airport

Southampton Airport

The map is for illustrative purposes only. The map shows the main areas that are overflown byaircraft arriving at Southampton Airport. Other aircraft may be seen flying in the region en routeto other airports and airfields, including; Bournemouth, Heathrow, Gatwick, Lee-on-Solent, LowerUpham, Bembridge, Goodwood, Popham, Old Sarum, Thruxton and RAF Odiham.


Other activities

Southampton Airport is committed tobeing a good neighbour, and there area number of initiatives in place tominimise the impact of noise on localcommunities. Here are some examples:

Working with airline partnersNew aircraft are much quieter thanthey were 40, 30 or even 20 yearsago. Southampton Airport activelyencourages its airline partners tominimise noise disturbance whereverpossible by investing in newtechnology. For example, Flybe areinvesting significantly in new aircraft.The new Embraer 195 aircraft hasreplaced the older BAe 146 aircraftbased at Southampton Airport. Thenew aircraft creates a noise footprint

which is up to 35% smaller and uses20% less fuel than the aircraft type itis replacing. Southampton Airport willcontinue to work with its airlinepartners to encourage the use ofquieter aircraft.

Technical Working GroupThe Technical Working Group is madeup of officers from Eastleigh,Southampton and Winchestercouncils, the Chairman ofSouthampton Airport ConsultativeCommittee, airlines, NATS andSouthampton Airport. This group hasbeen established to consider ways ofminimising noise, and discussestechnical issues such as improvementsto aircraft routeing.

Listening to our Neighbours

Valuing Community Feedback:Southampton Airport has a dedicatedNoise & Flight Evaluation Unit whichrecords and investigates feedback andenquiries received from the localcommunity about aircraft noise androuteings. The Unit is manned duringoffice hours by specially trained staffwho can answer questions and provideinformation. Outside office hours thereis an answer phone available.All feedback and enquiries receive apersonal response and are recordedand presented to the SouthamptonAirport Consultative Committee.

Giving Feedback:If you wish to make a comment aboutaircraft activity, please give as accuratedetails as possible, including date, timeof occurrence and direction ofmovement, (landing/taking off,northbound/southbound). Your name,address and telephone number will berequired to enable us to log andrespond to your query.

Southampton AirportNoise & Flight Evaluation Unit

Telephone: 023 8062 7070Email: [email protected] to: Noise & Flight Evaluation Unit

Southampton AirportSouthamptonSO18 2NL

3 www.southamptonairport.com


Frequently asked questions

What are the airport’s operatinghours?The permitted operating hours forSouthampton Airport are: Monday toSaturday 06:00 - 23:00 and Sunday07:30 - 23:00.

Do aircraft ever operate after23:00 hours at night?We do not currently schedule nightmovements, however SouthamptonAirport is permitted 10 nightmovements per month, after 23:00and before 06:00 hours. After theairports operations finish at night, theairspace surrounding the airport may

still be in use by aircraft visiting otherairports and local airfields.


What height will aircraft be whilstin my area?Aircraft heights will vary depending onmany factors including the route takenby the aircraft, your geographicaldistance from the airport,aircraft/engine type, weatherconditions and the weight of aircraft.If you have a question about a specificaircraft movement, the Noise & FlightEvaluation Unit, will be able to provideyou with more information.

What is a noise footprint?A noise footprint is a graphicalillustration of the area affected byaircraft noise. Each aircraft type has itsown noise footprint, and the noisecreated is shown in decibels (dB).

What determines the direction thatan aircraft takes off or lands?The main factor which decides therunway direction in use is theprevailing surface wind. Aircraft willalways take off and land into windand this is a universal procedure forany airport runway. If there is no wind(i.e., calm) or there is a crosswind (i.e.,straight across the runway) thedirection of upper winds (at 1000ftand 3000ft) will be considered whendeciding which direction aircraftshould operate from. NATS makeevery effort in calm weatherconditions to balance the use of therunway between North and South, inorder to minimise the impact of noisedisturbance on any one part of thecommunity.

Why do arriving aircraft not followthe path of the River Itchen?Arriving aircraft are required to alignwith the runway’s centre line over theless-densely populated SouthamptonWater area. At this point the alignedaircraft will be just a few minutesflying time from the airport and so willfollow a direct course to the runway.Aircraft cannot follow the curves ofthe river. Departing aircraft arerequired to bear right, onto the noisepreferred route and this takes the

aircraft on a route which isapproximately aligned over the RiverItchen.

What routes are permitted forarriving aircraft from the north(Runway 20)?There are a number of permittedroutes for aircraft arriving from thenorth. Technical information regardingspecific routes is available on page 4.However areas that may see or heararriving aircraft from the northinclude, Winchester, Twyford, ColdenCommon, Chandler’s Ford, Compton,Shawford and Otterbourne. If youhave a question about a specificaircraft movement, the Noise & FlightEvaluation Unit, will be able to provideyou with more information.

What happens when an aircraft isfound not to follow the noisepreferred routes?There are occasions where aircraft areinstructed by NATS not to follow thenoise preferred routeing, usually dueto weather conditions or other airtraffic in the area. However, if anaircraft is identified as not following anoise preferred routeing, details of thiswill be recorded, investigated and wewill liaise with NATS or the airlineinvolved as appropriate.

What happens after my complainthas been logged?All feedback is recorded andinvestigated in more detail if necessary.The information is reviewed, analysedand presented to the SouthamptonAirport Consultative Committee, andto the Technical Working Group. It isimportant for us to listen and engagewith local communities in order tounderstand how our operations effectour neighbours, and make positivechanges where possible.

What does National Air TrafficControl Services (NATS) do?NATS are responsible for managing airtraffic within UK airspace and provideair traffic services at many UK airports,

including Southampton Airport. NATS’first priority is safety but they are alsoconcerned with directing air traffic inan efficient manner. When pilots arewithin controlled airspace, they mustfollow controllers' instructions. Aircraftin the initial or final stages of theirjourney are handled by controllers atthe airport itself.

What geographic area do the NATSAir Traffic Controllers haveresponsibility for at SouthamptonAirport?The area controlled by NATS atSouthampton Airport stretches fromthe north of Winchester to the Isle ofWight.

Who can I contact about Police andmilitary aircraft, that are unrelatedto Southampton Airport?Military and Police aircraft do operatein this region, sometimes during thenight. However, Southampton Airportdoes not hold any jurisdiction over themovements of Police or militaryaircraft. Should you have anyquestions regarding Police aircraftbased at Lee-on-Solent, please contactHampshire Constabulary on: 0845 04545 45. In order to make a complaintregarding low flying military aircraft, itis necessary to write to the Ministry ofDefence at the following address:Ministry of Defence Directorate of AirStaff, Complaints and Enquiries Unit,Level 5, Zone H, Main Building,Whitehall, London, SW1A 2HB.

Useful contacts

Southampton Airport –Noise & Flight Evaluation UnitTelephone: 023 8062 7070Email: [email protected] to: Noise & Flight Evaluation

Unit Southampton AirportSouthamptonSO18 2NL

3 www.southamptonairport.com

Southampton Airport ConsultativeCommitteeTelephone: 023 8068 8113Write to: Hon Secretary to the

Consultative Committee,c/o Eastleigh BoroughCouncil, Civic Offices, LeighRoad, Eastleigh, SO50 9YN

3 www.eastleigh.gov.uk/meetings

Telephone: 023 8068 8245Email: [email protected] to: Head of Regeneration &

Planning Policy, EastleighBorough Council, LeighRoad, Eastleigh, SO50 9YN

3 www.eastleigh.gov.uk

Telephone: 023 8022 3855Email: [email protected] to: Southampton City Council,

Civic Offices, Southampton,SO14 7LY

3 www.southampton.gov.uk

Telephone: 01962 840222Write to: Customer Service Centre,

Winchester City Council,City Offices, ColebrookStreet, Winchester,SO23 9LJ

3 www.winchester.gov.uk

Correct at time of printing2008

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Southampton Airport - Managing Noise

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