The Airport Authority and the aviation community work to mitigate noise:

• Arrivals and departures are routed to the least disturbing flight paths – without compromising flight safety;
• Radar and navigational aids provide precise control of arrivals and departures;
• We work with planners at the municipal and provincial levels to coordinate growth around the Airport in an effort to minimize disturbance for future residents;
• Aircraft manufacturers are continuing their research in noise control technology. Today’s generation of jet engines deliver more power to carry larger aircraft, with a dramatic decrease in noise; and
• Air carriers are gradually phasing the noisiest of their aircraft out of their fleets or retrofitting them with new, quieter engines.

The Authority’s Aircraft Noise Management Program requires that all noise complaints are investigated to determine whether or not noise abatement procedures were followed. Transport Canada (TC) is notified of all infractions after which they can pursue further investigation, and issue fines accordingly.

Roles and Responsibilities

Safety, noise rules and regulations

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) developed a policy to manage aircraft noise called the Balanced Approach which consists of:

• Reduction of noise at source (technology standards);
• Land-use planning and management;
• Noise Abatement Procedures; and 
• Operating restrictions.

Canada has adopted the Balanced Approach. In all cases, any operational change must give priority to safety considerations.  

TC, the aviation regulatory authority in Canada, is responsible for the safety of operations at all Canadian airports. They ensure that aircraft operating in Canada are compliant with ICAO safety and noise standards through the aircraft certification process. TC authorizes all airport operating permits and establishes the flight path design criteria.

TC developed the Noise Exposure Forecast (NEF) / Noise Exposure Prediction (NEP) tool that is used to calculate long-term aircraft noise exposure. This tool is used during the land-use planning process.

As a regulator, TC has the authority to enforce the published Noise Abatement Procedures (NAP) and the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs) when potential violations are identified.

Flight paths

NAV CANADA, the air navigation provider in Canada, is responsible for safe and efficient movement of aircraft. NAV CANADA also designs and publishes a network of flight paths based on criteria set by TC and ICAO.

During normal operations, NAV CANADA selects the runway to be used based on wind velocity/direction and weather. Due to the predominant wind direction in Ottawa, the preferential runway is the east-west runway (Runway 07/25). For operational and safety reasons, pilots may use a different runway than the runway selected by NAV CANADA, but only after NAV CANADA provides the pilot with authorization to do so.

NAV CANADA and TC work together to ensure air traffic is monitored and controlled. They develop standard routes that pilots use to land or take-off to maintain order in the sky. These procedures are published in the Canada Air Pilot for flight crew and air traffic control use.

Abiding by these standard flight paths and procedures makes the skies much safer because:

• Air traffic controllers know exactly what every flight crew is going to do and when; and
• Flight crews know what other flight crews are going to do. 

Airport Authority’s role in Airport noise management

The Airport Authority has a ground lease with TC with the mandate to develop, manage and operate YOW in a safe and efficient manner. Part of that ground lease requires the Authority to have a Noise Management Program (NMP). The Authority provides the infrastructure for safe and secure air travel and does not have any jurisdiction in the control of air traffic. 

The Authority:

• Works with the City of Ottawa to prevent the development of incompatible land uses using TC’s NEF/NEP tool;
• Continuously monitors and records noise management comments and address these concerns with NAV CANADA and community leaders;
• Investigates non-compliance reports received of aircraft not following rules and regulations; and
• Minimizes noise through our published NAP.

Aircraft operations

The airlines and the flying clubs play a role in noise management by following NAP and CARs. 

Noise generation 

Aircraft noise is generated from two primary sources

Environmental factors that contribute to noise from air travel 

Temperature and humidity
When the temperature of the air increases with elevation, which is common at night or with dense cloud cover, sound waves are reflected back down to the ground and noise can be heard over longer distances.

Wind
Noise is carried with wind and dissipates against it; wind directly affects the distance noise travels. 

Cloud cover
Noise that bounces off clouds back to the ground creates a higher perceived noise level because the same sound waves hit the ground twice at the same location when reflecting off the clouds. 

Land cover
The same noise will seem quieter if you hear it in a forest rather than in a parking lot because trees and grass absorb sound.

Individual perception
The level of noise and its tolerance is different for every individual. If your lifestyle changes, you may notice more or less air traffic (for example, working from home, etc…)

Repetition
A softer sound repeated over and over can become irritating when compared to a louder noise that is less repetitive.

Time of day
People are more sensitive to noise depending on what they're doing when they hear it. 

Construction
The Airport Authority is required to maintain the runways and the grounds that surround them. Airport activities on the airfield can affect which runway is in use. This work may include:

• Runway/taxiway rehabilitation and maintenance;
• Electrical maintenance;
• Line painting;
• Snow and ice control; and
• Grass cutting.

Seasons dictate when most of this work is completed; major work to maintain or improve the runways and/or taxiways takes place during the spring/summer/fall and may require temporary closures, which affects aircraft traffic. Closures can last anywhere from a few hours to many months.

Work is always planned to minimize the impact to normal operations, and the Authority will endeavour to communicate extended closures to the communities that are most impacted by the change in traffic.