Executive Summary
This document sets out Aberdeen Airport’s Noise Action Plan, which aims to manage and, where practicable, reduce the adverse effects of aviation related noise. The preparation of a Noise Action Plan is a requirement of The Environmental Noise (Scotland) Regulations 2006. We have produced this Noise Action Plan to update and replace the 2018-2023 Noise Action Plan. The Noise Action Plan will be the subject of an eight-week public consultation and, once finalised following engagement with stakeholders and communities, will operate from 2024-2028.
Aberdeen Airport provides an essential service to a host of different industries and sectors, whilst our share of the leisure market continues to grow. Our facilities are always improving in line with our capital programme, and we work every day on improving the customer experience.
As well as the benefits provided by the airport, we recognise that aircraft noise can be an important issue for local communities. Although the noise generated by an airport cannot be eliminated, we are conscious that it is important to reach a balance that allows growth in a sustainable manner whilst also enhancing the economic and social benefits to the region, and ultimately remaining a good neighbour to local residents. We have reviewed our previous action plan and introduced updates and enhancements to our current actions to build upon the progress we have made over the past five years working proactively and in collaboration with a variety of stakeholders and local communities.
We believe this Noise Action Plan demonstrates our commitment and the importance that the airport places on the issue of noise and our aim to minimise the impact of noise from our airport as far as reasonably practicable.
Introduction and summary
This section provides an introduction and summary of the Noise Action Plan covering all the important aspects of referred to in Annex V of the Environmental Noise Directive (EC Directive 2002/49).
2.1 Purpose of the Noise Action Plan
The purpose of the Noise Action Plan is to set out our approach to management of and, as far as reasonably practicable, reduction of the total adverse effects of aviation noise. This document is an update to the 2018 – 2023 Noise Action Plan and will be in place from 2024 – 2028. The Noise Action Plan will be updated based on engagement with key stakeholders.
At Aberdeen Airport we recognise that aircraft noise is an important issue for local communities. We support the UK Government’s overarching aviation noise policy to limit, and where possible, reduce total adverse effects on health and quality of life from aviation noise1. This requires balancing the positive social and economic benefits provided by Aberdeen Airport with any adverse effects on local communities.
This Noise Action Plan builds upon decades of progress in developing mitigation measures in consultation with our neighbours and stakeholders and importantly includes updates and enhancements to our current noise mitigation measures.
2.2
Scope of the Noise Action Plan
This Noise Action Plan complies with the Environmental Noise (Scotland) 2006 Regulations (as amended). The airport operator (Aberdeen International Airport Ltd) is deemed the competent authority for preparing the Noise Action Plan. The Noise Action Plan has been developed following guidance from the Scottish Government2.
The scope of the Noise Action Plan does not include noise from airport construction activities nor from road or rail traffic.
The legal and Government policy framework for the Noise Action Plan is set out in Section 3
The requirements of the Noise Action Plan include the provision of financial information which is presented in Appendix B
1The UK Government has clarified (in Air Navigation Guidance 2017) that this means the total adverse effects on people as a result of aviation noise should be limited and, where possible, reduced, rather than the absolute number of people in
noise contour. 2Airport Noise Action Plans, Guidance to Airport Operators on how to prepare or revise Noise Action Plans under the Environmental Noise (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended), Scottish Environment Protection Agency, 2024.
2.3 Airport description
Aberdeen International Airport is the north-east of Scotland’s major transport hub and a vital economic driver for the region. The airport is the gateway to Europe’s energy capital and is Europe’s busiest heliport.
The airport is operational 24 hours a day, 365 days per year for fixed wing flights, servicing over 30 destinations and upwards of two million passengers. Helicopters are allowed to operate between 0600 hours and 2230 hours, supporting approximately 360,000 passengers each year.
The Covid-19 pandemic had a huge impact on aviation. Aberdeen International Airport supported the energy sector throughout this period and remained open servicing lifeline flights for the Highlands and Islands. Passenger numbers have been on a steady recovery since the pandemic, with the airport seeing over two million passengers in 2022.
Aberdeen International Airport is approximately seven miles northwest of Aberdeen city centre. It is bounded to the north by open farmland, to the west by Kirkhill Industrial Estate, to the east by the village of Dyce, and to the south by the ABZ Business Park and TECA developments.
2.4 Results of the strategic noise mapping
The Environmental Noise (Scotland) 2006 Regulations require that strategic noise maps are produced as part of Airport Noise Action Plans. These noise maps describe the noise situation at an airport at a particular point in time. For this round of Noise Action Plans, the required noise mapping year is 2021. Strategic noise maps for 2021 and the estimated number of people exposed to noise are presented in Section 5 and Appendix A.
DRAFT
The history of Aberdeen International Airport dates from 1934, when land at Dyce was acquired for the development of a public aerodrome. This means the airport will be 90 years old in 2024. During the Second World War the airport was primarily used as a military air base. Oil-related helicopter movements commenced in 1967 and the current main terminal and associated facilities were completed in 1977. The airport redeveloped its main terminal building, extending its square meterage by 50% in 2019.
Aberdeen International Airport has one passenger terminal building, one runway for fixed-wing aircraft, and three runways used for helicopters only.
The approximate number of aircraft movements and passengers that operated at the airport from 2019 – 2023 is presented in Table 1.
2.5 Noise reduction measures
A summary of noise management measures already in force at Aberdeen Airport is presented in Section 6. New and updated actions in this Noise Action Plan that will be undertaken in the next five years, as well as those that form part of the long-term noise reduction strategy, are presented in Section 7. Each action in the Noise Action Plan includes a description of the performance indicators that will be used to evaluate the implementation of the action plan.
Table 1 Total annual passengers and aircraft movements
2.6 Airspace Change Proposal
Like many airports in the UK, we are currently undergoing an Airspace Change Proposal (ACP). Aberdeen International Airport is undertaking an Airspace Change Proposal (ACP) to provide resilience to its operation and to support the widespread introduction of new routes based on satellite navigation, known as Performance Based Navigation (PBN). The airspace change will also take the opportunity to review existing controlled airspace boundaries and classifications.
This ACP will enable Aberdeen Airport to meet the UK’s Airspace Modernisation Strategy (AMS), which sets out the initiatives which the aviation industry, in particular airports, should progress to modernise the UK’s airspace structure and route network.
The ACP process is regulated by the CAA and is completely separate to the Noise Action Plan process. Noise impacts however are a key element of the decision-making process as to whether an airspace change should go ahead.
2.7 Consultation
This Draft Noise Action Plan has been developed in consultation with the Aberdeen International Airport Consultative Committee (AIACC) through committee meetings and the full draft was shared with the AIACC for comment. The Chair of the AIACC has confirmed that the committee had no comments on the draft and that the AIACC agree with the contents of the draft Noise Action Plan.
Following the engagement with the AIACC, this Draft Noise Action Plan will be released for public consultation. Following this consultation, this section will be updated with a summary of consultation responses and will describe how the Noise Action Plan has been revised, if necessary, as a result of public consultation feedback.
For more information on the ACP, please visit aberdeenairport.com/airspace/
