YVR is a global hub airport and community-focused company that operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. On average, one flight takes off or lands every two minutes. With all of this movement comes hundreds of aircraft each day, and with them noise.
Over the past 20 years, new-age aircraft have been developed with the goal of reducing noise in mind. The audible ground noise from the latest 747 model is 40 decibels less than a 747 manufactured in the 1980’s. To put that in perspective, that’s the same amount of noise difference between a window air conditioner and a rock concert.
Aircraft developers are working to reduce noise significantly. At YVR we work to do this too, as we strive to be a responsible neighbor to our community. As a part of our ground lease with the federal government, YVR is required to manage noise within 10 nautical miles of the airport. Every five years Vancouver Airport Authority publish our Noise Management Plan: a comprehensive program to address noise from aircraft and aircraft operations.
YVR’s Noise Management Plan for the years 2019-2023 was accepted by Transport Canada in February 2019. The plan is a culmination of reviewing noise management practices at other airports, working collaboratively with stakeholders like the YVR Aeronautical Noise Management Committee (ANMC) and engaging with you, our community. Our new Noise Management Plan consists of 12 elements which will serve to minimize environmental and noise impacts associated with airport operations. These include reviewing our night-time operations guidelines and supporting the development of Performance-Based Navigation (PBN). PBN procedures use GPS technology to optimize airspace used along aircrafts’ routes to make them more environmentally efficient. They can also be used to design routes that are less noisy for communities below.
Click here to download the 2019-2023 YVR Noise Management Plan.
Thanks to your support, our financially-independent and community-focused organization has grown to be Canada’s second-busiest airport, operating 24 hours a day to support British Columbia’s travel and business demands. YVR works hard to minimize our impact while benefitting those around us, including donating more than $1 Million to various community organizations around the Lower Mainland each year. Implementing our Noise Management Plan is another way that YVR is accountable to our community. To read more about how YVR gives back, visit http://www.yvr.ca/en/about-yvr.