Airport expansion and noise

The $30 million expansion and repaving of Bellingham International Airport, which will make room for larger aircraft and more flights, has neighbors of the airport frustrated about increasing aviation noise.
Neighbors, like Matt Paskus, said there has been an increase in the number of flights over the last decade and recently flights after 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Paskus said most residents do not want more aviation traffic.
“It’s more the business folks who want the airport expanded,” Paskus said.
Airport manager Dan Zenk said the airport expansion does not necessarily mean more traffic and more noise.
“The airport is sensitive to those local neighborhoods,” Zenk said.
Zenk said the purpose of the expansion is to handle current demand. He said the goal is to have fewer flights handling more passengers.
City Council member Jack Weiss said that is an optimistic view.
“You wouldn’t put $30 million into expansion if you didn’t want to see an increase in service,” Weiss said
The expansion and repaving allows aircraft weighing up to 330,000 pounds to use the airport increasing from the previous capacity of 180,000 pound aircraft, said Zenk.
Zenk said that larger aircraft do not necessarily generate more noise.
“That’s a misconception,” Zenk said. “Many of the larger aircraft have quieter engine technology than some of the smaller aircraft.”
Although neighbors may not like the possibility of increased traffic and noise, Weiss said local governments do not have any power over these decisions.
Weiss said the real problem with aviation noise is that the Federal Aviation Administration regulates noise, not local government.
“We can complain, but the city does not have power to influence those (noise regulation) decisions,” Weiss said. “Neighbors cannot do anything about it, it’s truly a federal regulation.”
Weiss said there have been many complaints over the years and sees complaints increasing as traffic at the airport increases.
Zenk said the Port does not have the authority to compensate neighbors to the airport for noise, like retrofitting new doors and windows to reduce noise. He said compensation falls under FAA authority.
Weiss said that if there are retrofits, they need to be on the aircraft, not on homes.
“The responsibility should not be on the homeowner, but on the Port to manage traffic and the FAA to control noise of the aircraft,” said Weiss.
A noise study conducted by a Port contractor in Feb. 2008, found noise levels did not exceed 65 decibels outside of airport property, which falls into the current land use compatibility guidelines.
Paskus, who is studying flight patterns and how they affect land use at Western Washington University’s Huxley College, said because the study was conducted in Feb. it does not calculate noise levels for busier months in the summer.
Zenk said the study was complete and objective.
“The consultant data is very objective based on decibel levels for departure and arrivals,” Zenk said. “Its all quantifiable data, there’s not a lot of subjective material.”
Some of the problems with noise stem from the flight patterns of aircraft, including helicopters. According to the FAA website, the FAA has designed noise abatement procedures for carrier routes that are intended to limit the impact of noise on residential areas.
The problem is that carriers often ignore noise abatement procedures in order to increase efficiency, Weiss said.
“We have helicopters flying from the airport to the hospital over residential areas (not following noise abatement procedures) and there are unintended consequences,” Weiss said.
Another issue concerning the airport expansion is whether or not Whatcom County can support increased traffic at the airport in the long run with 80 percent of the passengers coming from Canada.
Weiss said airports in Abbotsford, Canada and Everett, Wash. may bleed service from Bellingham in the future. Weiss said the Port’s model for the airport is not sustainable, because carriers have no obligation to stay in Bellingham.
“There is no contractual guarantee with carriers,” Weiss said. “(The expansion) is just a way to maximize short term gain.”
Paskus said Whatcom County alone cannot maintain an airline.
“We’ve got to think smarter and start building conduits to larger airports,” said Paskus.
Paskus said many carriers have had service at Bellingham’s airport and left because it was unsustainable. He does not expect the expansion to change this.
“Many airlines have come and gone and I think history is going to repeat itself,” said Paskus.
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