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Airports have always been double-edged swords for residents living in close proximity to them. While they allow us to fly throughout the world quickly and transport goods from one place to another, they also create a noise problem. Unfortunately, this is no different for the Bob Hope Airport. Aircraft noise, especially nighttime noise, has been a serious public concern in Burbank since the 1960s, when commercial jet airliners first arrived. After the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority acquired the airport from Lockheed Air Terminal in 1978, the Authority passed a body of noise rules to control noise and preserve the surrounding residential areas. These rules included restrictions on nighttime flights by the noisiest aircraft, but quieter planes were still allowed to fly 24 hours a day. In 1990, Congress put a halt to the ability of local airports to impose new noise rules, such as curfews, unless they are approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). For the most part, Congress allowed those airports that had aircraft flight restrictions in place prior to 1990 to keep them. Even though Bob Hope Airport does not have the authority today to impose new noise rules on its own, it has for over 30 years promoted a voluntary curfew that urges commercial airlines to avoid scheduling flights after 10 p.m. and before 7 a.m. Historically, more than 95% of all airline flights have conformed to this restriction. If possible, the Airport Authority would like 100% of all airline flights to conform to this restriction on a mandatory basis, and it would like to eliminate non-airline flights at night as well. |
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