Management of Aviation Environmental Issues

Management of Aviation Environmental Issues
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Management of Aviation Environmental Issues
The aviation industry is one of the vibrant industries around the globe, with a notable double-digit growth rate since 1945. The innovations that led to the development of the turbo propeller aircraft, the transatlantic jets and the wide-bodied aircraft between the 1950s and the 1970s transformed the industry into an economically viable investment. However, the increasing use of large capacity planes has resulted in adverse effects on the environment. Since environmentalists raise concerns about the overall impact of air operations on the environment, regulations have been put in place towards protecting the environment. However, these regulations limit the capability of the air industry, thus undermining its growth. Despite safety concerns, environmental protection has formed a core basis for aircraft designs and operations. Various standards have been developed to manage engine emissions, aircraft noise, use of market-based options and proper land use planning. The aviation industry has been noted to contribute to over 2 percent of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the form of carbon dioxide gas exhausted by jet engines. The enormous aircraft engines and the heavy propellers generate significant quantities of noise to the surrounding environment, hence contributing to noise pollutions. Despite the existence of other environmental challenges associated with the aviation industry, noise and air pollutions are the key challenges to the growth of the industry. The paper highlights how noise from planes and carbon emissions associated with climate change undermines the growth of the industry.
Aviation Noise
Aviation noise has been noted to be a constant source of annoyance to the people living and working around the airport paths. Aviation noise is derived from the various phases of flight, which include noise from power units during parking, noise from taxiing, from the run-up in propellers and exhausts during takeoff, en-route and during landing. The combined noise from the various sources rise to high levels, hence becoming a nuisance to the people around them; and have been noted to cause adverse health problems that include hearing impairment, hypertension, sleep disturbance, and ischemic heart disease. Research indicates that noise levels of more than 65dB affect individual's memory by affecting their abilities to recall information. Due to the adverse effects resulting from aviation noise, it has raised various environmental concerns that have facilitated the enactment of control legislations around the globe. The demands from the legislations have redefined the aircraft manufacturing techniques towards achieving a silent air. The design needs imply additional costs incurred to ensure noise is greatly reduced. In the US, the Congress authorized the FAA to find means of insulating homes near airports against noise, which is an additional cost to the government.
In the UK, night flying restrictions have been applied to reduce noise exposure to the people at night, and in return, scale down the associated health effects. Also, the UK has legal provisions for minimum noise levels emitted by aircraft and hence, those aircraft that fail to meet the requirements are not allowed into the UK airspace. From the look into the effects of aviation noise and the regulations set to control the emission levels, it is evident that the growth of the industry is undermined. Expansion to areas with dense populations is limited by state regulations. Thus, an implication that the aviation industry lacks the required space for expansion, which undermines growth. The additional costs incurred in designing silent aircraft increases input costs and lowers profits. The regulations in the UK that prohibit planes with noise levels exceeding the set thresholds also affect the growth of the industry, considering that the lower the number of plane destinations, the lesser the revenue collec...