*† ‡ § ¶ There is increasing pressure to reduce the environmental impacts of air transport operations. To that end, a discussion of noise abatement procedures for approach operations in the busy UK airspace is presented in this paper. Firstly, a brief history of noise abatement procedures is presented together with a description of the most promising operational technique: Continuous Descent Approach procedures. The impacts of airspace constraints and the trade-offs between environmental benefits and operational flexibility in the noise abatement procedure design process are discussed in the context of the UK environment and compared to less congested airspace in other parts of the world. The development of noise abatement procedures can be supported through the use of analysis tools that enable impacts on key metrics to be assessed, including environmental variables (such as noise, fuel burn and emissions) and operational factors (such as “flyability” by different aircraft types and impacts on runway capacity). A suite of tools to examine these key impacts are described. A case study of the development of noise abatement approach procedures at a candidate airport is used to illustrate the concepts and tools discussed in a specific circumstance. Finally, the impact of advanced technologies and designs are discussed to highlight the most promising areas of research that may enable further improvement in the future.