What concrete actions is Eindhoven Airport taking to reduce nuisance to local residents and what does this yield?

First of all, the airport's permit. To reduce noise even further, the permit for 2023 includes a smaller noise area than last year. The maximum allowable noise levels have been decreasing for years in a row. This means that the airport, together with the airlines, must ensure that flights "fit" within the ever-shrinking maximum allowable noise levels. This can be done, for example, by flying quieter aircraft.

Discount on airport charges Eindhoven Airport encourages airlines to fly from or to Eindhoven with quiet and clean aircraft that emit less noise by applying a lower airport charge. As of April this year, airlines landing at or taking off from Eindhoven Airport will pay a lower rate on airport fees if they use quieter aircraft that emit less CO2, such as the Airbus A321 NEO and/or the Boeing 737 MAX.

In addition, a lower rate applies if less nitrogen oxides are emitted. To discourage flying in the early morning and late evening, a lower fare also applies (as is already the case) if airlines fly during the day instead of the early morning or evening hours.

Quieter and cleaner aircraft Fleet renewal is an important means of reducing noise pollution and thus in reducing annoyance to local residents. Airlines are working on this. Airlines are increasingly using the latest generation of aircraft at Eindhoven Airport. In 2022, thirteen percent of flight movements at Eindhoven Airport were carried out with these quieter and cleaner aircraft. This percentage is expected to rise to eighteen percent by the end of 2023. As airlines renew their fleets, more and more flights will be carried out with quieter and cleaner aircraft in the coming years.

In 2023, the number of flight movements at Eindhoven Airport will remain limited to a maximum of 41,500 per year. This was also the maximum number of flight movements per year in the previous four years. In addition, the maximum number of planned takeoffs on Sunday mornings between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. will remain limited. In order to prevent disturbance to local residents in the late evening hours as much as possible, planned landings after 11 p.m. are no longer allowed as early as October 25, 2020. Planned takeoffs were already not allowed after 11 p.m.

To reduce noise and emissions, a sustainable taxiing trial is underway in which we are gathering more data on the taxiing of aircraft on one engine. The basic principle is that aircraft should cab on one engine as much as possible. We have also succeeded in reducing emissions from diesel-powered equiequipment on the apron with electric equipment. Over 65 percent of all baggage tractors, pushback vehicles, aircraft stairs, aircraft power units, service vehicles and aircraft conveyors and baggage belts are now electric.

The continued reduction of noise pollution is in line with the advice of former State Secretary Pieter van Geel on the further development of Eindhoven Airport until 2030. The starting point is that no longer the number of flight movements but the reduction of noise pollution is leading for the development of the airport.

Read more at: Sustainable living environment