2016 Responsibility report

Responsibility at Finavia A part of society Safety Staff wellbeing Environmental responsibility GRI
Development of aircraft noise area (L den
55 dB) at Helsinki Airport
(1990 versus 2015) Aircraft noise area (L den
55 dB) at Helsinki Airport 2015
The number of people living
within the aircraft noise area
has decreased by one-third
over the past two decades.
Population, Census 2013
Persons/100x100
Population, Census 2013
Persons/100x100
The noise area at Helsinki Airport has decreased by
two-thirds in the long term
There are ten measurement stations in the noise monitoring system
(ANOMS) at Helsinki Airport. Finavia uses the system for monitoring
the noise situation and for producing reports. The WebTrak
service publicly displays data collected by ANOMS online. The
measurement results of different measurement points can be
viewed in real-time for different aircraft routes during a chosen
period.
Over a long period, the noise area has reduced to one-third thanks
to developments in aircraft technology and air traffic control methods.
In 1990, a total of 97,000 people lived in the aircraft noise area.
In 2015, the number was 19,000. The shape of the aircraft noise area
and the number of people living in it vary every year due to wind conditions
and runway renovation operations. The closure of runway 1
for the duration of renovation work was the most important factor
affecting the shape of the nose area in 2015. The extensive development
programme at Helsinki Airport will not affect the use of runways
and will thus not change the spread of aircraft noise.
Finland uses, in line with the EU Noise Directive, an indicator
called L den
to describe aircraft noise in the daytime, evening and
night. The indicator describes the annual weighted average noise
energy recorded over a 24-hour period, where aircraft noise readings
taken in the evening (7 p.m. to 10 p.m.) are increased by 5 dB,
and aircraft noise readings taken at night (10 p.m. to 7 a.m.) are increased
by 10 dB. The weighting is used to compensate for the differences
between perceived noise disturbances at different times
of the day.
Responsibility report 2016 52