ALLOCATING THE COSTS OF ALLEVIATING SUBSONIC JET AIRCRAFT NOISE

Abstract : The problem of aircraft noise around airports contains two principal elements: (1) quiet jet aircraft are and will remain (barring major progress in airframe and engine technology) prohibitively inefficient in terms of payload and revenue-generating capacity; (2) jet airports are and will remain (barring changes in land-use and transportation planning) centers of economic activity, including dense residential development. Conflicts in public policy also appear to have contributed to the noise problem. On the one hand, it is in the public interest to keep noise at as low a level as possible; on the other hand, aircraft become technically less efficient and more costly as they are made quieter. Public policy encourages both a quiet society and the development of more efficient air transportation. Finally, under U. S. transportation policy, airlines are private enterprises, free to make their own business decisions within economic and safety constraints. Since the air carriers do not pay the costs of aircraft noise, they tend to ignore these costs in making business decisions.