ICAO CONSIDERS STRICTER STANDARDS FOR AIRCRAFT NOISE AND EMISSIONS

ICAO CONSIDERS STRICTER STANDARDS FOR AIRCRAFT NOISE AND EMISSIONS    The International Civil Aviation Organization will consider more stringent standards on aircraft noise and emissions, an issue that’s expected to be closely watched by cargo airlines.
   A list of recommendations regarding aircraft noise and emissions was drafted by the ICAO’s Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP).
   “The conclusions and recommendations of CAEP will greatly assist the Council in formulating new policies and adopting new standards for aircraft noise reduction, as well as developing procedures to limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions from civil aviation,” said Dr. Assad Kotaite, president of the ICAO Council, based in Montreal. “This in turn will support Contracting States and the air transport industry in achieving maximum compatibility between the safe and orderly development of civil aviation and the quality of the environment.”
   CAEP said it endorsed a “balanced approach” to noise mitigation. Its recommendations are:
   * A new noise standard which is 10 decibels lower than the current level set by the 1996 Convention on International Civil Aviation.
   * Procedures for re-certification of existing planes to meet new standards.
   * More stringent noise standards for helicopters.
   * Publication of guidelines for land-use planning.
   * A proposal for new takeoff noise abatement procedures.
   CAEP also considered operating restrictions on so-called Chapter 3 planes but no conclusion was reached, the ICAO said.
   On aircraft engine exhaust emissions, CAEP recommended:
   * Further development of regulations for an “emissions trading program” for international aviation emissions, in line with the Kyoto Convention to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
   * More work on voluntary guidelines to address emissions.
   * Include in the Global Air Navigation Plan a method to study the environmental benefits of implementing communications, navigation, surveillance and air traffic management (CNS/ATM) systems. This method, which is already in use in the United States and Europe, has shown an overall fuel savings, and associated reductions in CO2 of about 5 percent.
   * Publication of an ICAO Circular on Operational Opportunities to Minimize Fuel Use and Reduce Emissions, containing best industry practices to reduce fuel use.
   Cargo airlines will feel the pinch of tighter aircraft noise and emission standards, because they generally operate older planes.