Proposal to curb noisy aircraft in Union

Date: 30/10/1997

By Simon Coss

PLANS to prevent airlines buying up noisy second-hand aircraft from outside the EU for use on routes within the Union are set to be unveiled by the European Commission before the end of the year.

One Commission expert on aircraft noise described the proposed EU directive as “a holding plan which is designed to ensure the current situation does not get any worse”.

Newly built aircraft now have to meet tough anti-noise rules, known in aviation circles as Chapter III rules. But older planes have, until now, been allowed to continue flying if their engines are modified - a process known as 'hush kitting' - to conform with the less stringent Chapter II regulations.

It is estimated that there are currently 38 'hush-kitted' aircraft flying within the EU.

But the figure in the US is much higher. Industry estimates put the total at around 600 and it is expected that this will almost double within the next few years.

In the wake of full liberalisation of the EU aviation market in April this year, the Commission wants to ensure that smaller companies hoping to take advantage of the new era of 'open skies' do not decide to go into business using cheap, hush-kitted aircraft bought in the US.

“These planes are really very noisy. What we are proposing is that operators will not be able to add any such aircraft to their fleets and fly them within the EU,” said one official, although he added that the Commission had no objection to operators using these planes in the US.

But officials are quick to stress that the proposed directive is only a stop-gap measure, pointing out that the rules were never designed to eradicate the problem of aircraft noise completely.

Indeed, noise experts argue that even if older planes are phased out as they reach the end of their working lives, the noise problem is likely to get worse rather than better in the near future.

Estimates by industry giant Boeing, generally considered to be the most reliable source of information, suggest that the number of aircraft flying around the world will increase from the current figure of some 11,500 to 24,000 by the year 2010.

“What you need to remember is that the average size of aircraft is getting bigger and that large aircraft are allowed to make more noise than smaller ones,” said one Commission official.

The noise reduction plans are being put together by two Commission departments - the Directorates-General for transport (DGVII) and for environmental policy (DGXI) - along with the European Civil Aviation Conference.