Zurich aircraft noise guideline value almost reached despite fewer flights
Published: Thursday, Dec 7th 2023, 10:20
Updated At: Thursday, Dec 7th 2023, 10:21
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The Zurich aircraft noise index remained in the green zone for the third time in a row in 2022 - still due to the coronavirus: the number of flight movements was around a quarter below the pre-pandemic level. However, delayed flights at night are a particular burden on the index.
According to Empa's theoretical calculations, 43,448 people were exposed to excessive noise around Zurich Airport last year, as can be seen in the Airport Report 2022 presented on Thursday. In the two full coronavirus years before that, the figures were only around 15,000 and 20,000, and 58,000 before the pandemic.
In 2022, the monitoring value thus approached the guideline value of 47,000 people again, which should not be exceeded. Citizens' organizations criticize this development: Noise pollution will be exceeded again in the coming years and a plan of action is needed, states "Fair in Air", for example, in a press release.
Noise at night is more disturbing
The increase in the ZFI value in 2022 is due on the one hand to the recovery in the aviation industry following the coronavirus grounding, as Economic Director Carmen Walker Späh (FDP) said at a media conference.
However, delays in the international flight network, which often could not be made up in time, are also to blame. Walker Späh recalled the rapid increase in demand after the end of the special situation in April 2022, which led to delays due to initial staff shortages at the airports, among other things.
But the complicated runway system at Zurich Airport also contributed to this, the Director of Economic Affairs noted. Alex Bristol, CEO of Skyguide air traffic control, and Oliver Buchhofer, pilot and member of the Swiss Executive Board, referred to the planned runway extensions, on which the voters will have to decide. These would increase the stability of the system and there would be fewer disruptions leading to delays.
As a result of the delays, the number of flights increased more during the night than during the day from 2021 to 2022. And this continued into the late evening: between 11.00 p.m. and 11.30 p.m., when delays can be reduced without a permit, 2142 flights were counted (2021: 584). Between 11.30 p.m. and 6 a.m., 204 individual permits were issued (2021: 71). Night flights are weighted more heavily in the ZFI, as noise is more disruptive at night than during the day.
Less noise thanks to progress
Despite the renewed increase in the ZFI value, those responsible drew a positive balance: according to the report, the increase is also due to the population growth around the airport. This would have increased the ZFI by two percent compared to the previous year.
However, this increase is increasingly being offset by measures in flight operations. Fleet renewals, for example, are having a positive effect. Old aircraft are being taken out of service and modern aircraft types with more efficient and quieter engines are being used.
According to the airport report, this development is likely to continue, as "the aviation industry is very dynamic in terms of researching and developing new, sustainable technologies".
Praise for the airport
In the Airport Report 2023, which is regarded as an accountability report, the Zurich Government Council also gives the airport good marks in other areas. For example, Flughafen Zürich AG overcame the pandemic and the subsequent resurgence of operations under its own steam. This testifies to the stability of the business model, the Government Council states, among other things.
It also connects Zurich and Switzerland internationally; it meets the requirements for economic and transport significance. "All objectives have been achieved and in some cases exceeded," said Carmen Walker Späh.
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