A citizens’ advisory panel is formally pressing for an outside consultant to be hired to analyze noise related to air traffic at Reagan National Airport.
But the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) appears disinclined to acquiesce to that request.
The Reagan National Community Working Group voted Jan. 22 to seek outside support, paid for by the authority, to implement a robust “Fly Quiet” program at the airport.
“You can’t improve if you don’t measure,” said Ken Buckley, a member of the panel, which was set up in 2015 to provide input to MWAA, airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration on issues related to airport operations.
At a meeting last October, MWAA rolled out what it termed a “Fly Quiet” program to encourage voluntary noise mitigation initiatives by airlines.
Similar programs are in place at a number of major urban-area airports nationally, although there is no single definition of what should be included in one.
After endorsing recommendations for revised flight paths that would reduce planes over southeastern Fairfax County, members of the community working group complained that the proposed “Fly Quiet” plan fell well short of other efforts around the country.
Those complaints continued at the Jan. 22 meeting.
Janelle Wright, a representative from Montgomery County on the panel who heads the subcommittee addressing the Fly Quiet proposal, called MWAA’s effort insufficient.
“[It] does not provide any granular data and analysis on air-carrier performance,” Wright said.
“The MWAA document that was provided focuses on the past,” she said. “We envision a more efficient and sustainable future.”
Fellow panel member William Parker agreed that “dynamic reporting and data collection” of noise conditions are needed.
In October, MWAA officials said the authority is comfortable with its approach and doesn’t intend to spend money on additional consulting services related to noise-mitigation efforts.
At the January meeting, the message was essentially the same, if not quite as direct.
“We appreciate the perspective and opinions” of the working group, said David Mould, an MWAA vice president who is chief liaison to the panel.
Under the framework of the working group, its recommendations are advisory only. Mould told members of the body the proposals in the latest request will be taken up in coming months.
“We will review them and get back to you nice folks at the next meeting,” he said. That meeting will be held in April.
Some remarks from working-group members seemed to irk Tracy Montross, regional director for government affairs at American Airlines and the carrier’s representative to the group.
American is the dominant carrier at National. Montross said it was “a little unfair” to imply it and other carriers, who also are represented on the panel, haven’t been responsive to noise matters raised by the community.
“We’ve invested millions to try to address these concerns,” she said.
Earlier in the meeting — which ran about 20 minutes over its allotted two-hour schedule — MWAA Noise Office Manager Mike Jeck briefed members on trends in aircraft types using National.
The Federal Aviation Administration rates aircraft types by “stages:” the higher the stage, the less noisy they are.
Since 2015, Stage 3 aircraft have declined from 21% of all operations to 2% at Reagan National, while Stage 4 and Stage 5 aircraft have increased from 79% to 98% of the total, Jeck said.
The only Stage 3 aircraft still operating at National on a regular basis are Delta Air Lines Boeing 757-200s and United Airlines Boeing 757-300s.
Jeck said one step MWAA could take is requesting the two airlines curtail use of those aircraft at the airport, particularly during late-night hours.
Currently, the only aircraft that meets Stage 5 noise criteria are Airbus A220s, which are operated by several carriers at the airport.
“This is what we want to see,” Jeck said of their use.
Some on the community panel suggested increased flight operations at the airport over the past decade have negated the impact of quieter planes.
“We’re seeing the noise level go in the other direction — it is getting worse, not better,” said Kathleen deLaski, who represents Fairfax County’s Dranesville District on the body.
Jeck is a one-man operation at MWAA, handling noise matters for both National and Dulles International airports.
His efforts have received praise from the National Airport community working group, but panel members believe one person alone is not enough to oversee a robust monitoring and reporting system.
