The Spanish Airport Authority AENA (Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea) has unveiled a plan to curb noise levels, reduce CO2 emissions and save 25,000 tons of fuel, all starting in 2010.
One of the first measures will see the banning of a number of ‘noisy’ planes from several Spanish airports. The aircraft involved, none of which are used by Spanish carriers, are the B747-200-300, DC8-50/60; B727, Tupolev 154, Ilyushin IL-76 and A300/B2.
The airports affected in the first instance are Palma, Málaga, Gran Canaria, Tenerife Sur, Valencia and Alicante. There are also plans to streamline take-off manouuvres, implement new approach procedures during winter so that more use is made of the hours of darkness and, as a consequence, noise levels are reduced for those living close to an airport.
As a general principle, noise levels will be continually monitored and the information will be available on the AENA website. Also, more use will be made of electric vehicles at the various airports around the country.