There's no getting away from the fact that aviation can be noisy. When aircraft land and take off - and, depending on the aircraft and its altitude, as they fly overhead - they produce a considerable amount of noise.
The highest levels of noise are experienced close to the busiest airports, with noise from Heathrow at a level classified as 'significantly annoying' and impacting more people than any other airport in Europe.
Information on various aspects of aviation noise can be found through the menu on the left.
The challenge for civil aviation: increasing capacity, reducing noise
Government and the aviation industry have worked to try and reduce the impact of noise by creating quieter aircraft; restricting the times airports can operate and the routes that can be used; and in some cases, capping the total number of flights that can take place from an airport.
With people's desire to fly consistently growing, there's a real challenge ahead: how can aviation grow without worsening the impact of aviation noise?
Noise and the CAA
The CAA has three key roles around aviation noise:
- Deciding whether or not the design of contracted airspace can be changed (in accordance with government, law and noise policy). We are currently reviewing and consulting on our airspace change decision process. Detailed information is available on our airspace change pages.
- Monitoring noise around UK airports and publishing information about noise levels and impact. We do this for a range of customers including the UK Government, airport operators, airspace change proposers and local authorities.
- Collaborating on and reviewing research into the effects of noise and how they can be reduced, and offering advice to Government on these effects.
The CAA does not:
- Make decisions about the amount of noise that is considered damaging or annoying for people;
- Make decisions about particular plans for airports, such as expansions.
The CAA's airspace role
The noise impact of aircraft can be affected by changes to how airspace is used.
As the UK's independent specialist aviation regulator, the CAA has responsibility for regulating airspace over the UK. This includes the new and established air traffic routes and areas which commercial aircraft use to fly into and out of airports, and the airspace used by military and General Aviation flights.
An organisation proposing a change to the design of UK airspace must follow the CAA's airspace change process. The CAA has a duty to consider consider
a range of
factors set out by government in deciding whether or not to approve the
change. One set of factors is the environmental objectives set for the CAA by
the Secretary of State – including consideration of noise impacts.
The CAA is introducing a new airspace change process for such proposals, revised guidance for which we recently consulted on in our consultation on airspace change.
Alongside changes to the design of airspace, there are a range of factors that can make a difference to the noise impact of aircraft but which are not subject to any formal approval process. Examples might include changing weather conditions or variations in the demand for different flight destinations.
The CAA does not have regulatory control over these factors, but has recently consulted on how the aviation industry might best communicate their effects on aircraft noise to the public as part of the consultation above. More information on these factors is available on our Factors affecting aviation noise page.
The CAA's areas of expertise
- Noise monitoring and regulation
- Noise contours
- Noise effects
- Noise model development and analysis
- Environmental assessment of airspace
Noise publications
The CAA in general and ERCD in particular have produced a
number of reports over the years, particularly on the topic of noise modelling.
See our full list of reports
Funding for the CAA's noise work
Approximately 90% of the CAA’s income comes from fees
charged to the aviation industry (e.g. licences). Most of our work is funded in
this way (including airspace and noise information), but noise modelling
operates differently.
Approximately three quarters of our noise modelling work is
funded by the Government, which uses our noise model to produce noise contours
for major airports and provides them with technical support and expertise. We
offer similar services to local authorities and the aviation industry, which
accounts for the remainder of our income.
Frequently asked questions