TagAviation Noise & Emissions Symposium(24)

Agenda for the Joint Des Moines and Burien Airport Committee meeting scheduled for July 13, 2026, at 4:00 PM in the City Council Chambers in Des Moines, Washington. The single agenda item is a summary of the 2026 Aviation Noise & Emissions Symposium. The meeting follows standard order of business including call to order, roll

Washington Senate Bill 6240 proposes creating a new state account funded by a portion of hazardous substance tax revenue collected on aviation fuel, with money directed toward communities affected by airport noise and air pollution. Starting October 1, 2026, the Department of Commerce would use these funds to run a grant program supporting noise and air quality mitigation projects in aviation-impacted neighborhoods. The bill does not include a direct appropriation and would take effect 90 days after the legislative session in which it is passed.

Aviation Noise Impact Management is an open-access academic book edited by Laurent Leylekian, Alexandra Covrig, and Alena Maximova, published by Springer. It examines how aviation noise is measured, regulated, and managed across Europe, covering technologies to reduce noise, regulatory frameworks, and the effects of aircraft noise on community well-being. While focused on the European context, the book offers broadly applicable insights for airport noise policy research and planning.

NASA's X-59 aircraft is being used in a community response test campaign to study how people on the ground react to sonic booms from supersonic flight. The mission, called Quesst, aims to collect data that could help regulators move from a blanket speed-based ban on supersonic flight over U.S. land to a noise-based standard. Current federal rules prohibit civil aircraft from flying faster than Mach 1 over the United States, but NASA hopes its findings could lead to updated, sound-level-focused regulations.

Airlines for America presented at the 2023 Aviation Noise & Emissions Symposium at UC Davis, outlining U.S. airlines' environmental record and climate commitments, including a goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The presentation highlighted a 94% reduction in significant noise exposures since 1975, major improvements in fuel efficiency, and a target to make 3 billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuel available by 2030. Key pathways to further reduce emissions include new aircraft technology, operational improvements, modernized air traffic control, and the long-term potential of electric, hybrid, or hydrogen-powered flight.

Swift Fuels, a West Lafayette, Indiana-based company, presented on unleaded aviation gasoline at the Aviation Noise & Emissions Symposium 2023 at UC Davis. The company markets two premium unleaded avgas products: UL94, sold since 2015 with FAA STC approval and ASTM D7547 certification, and a forthcoming high-octane 100R formula. These fuels are designed as lead-free alternatives to conventional aviation gasoline, with approvals from both engine and airframe original equipment manufacturers.

The Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions Initiative (EAGLE) is a coalition of government and industry partners, including the FAA and major aviation associations, working to eliminate lead emissions from aviation gasoline by the end of 2030 without compromising the safety or efficiency of general aviation. The initiative operates through four key pillars: supply chain infrastructure and deployment, research and innovation, unleaded fuel evaluation and authorization, and regulation and policy activities. A presentation on the initiative was delivered at the Aviation Noise & Emissions Symposium at U.C. Davis on May 2, 2023.

This Delta Air Lines presentation from the 2023 Aviation Noise & Emissions Symposium explains what contrails are, how they form, and why they matter for the climate. Contrails are line-shaped clouds created by aircraft engine exhaust or air pressure changes, forming through a rapid process in which exhaust particles become water droplets and then ice crystals within seconds. The presentation explores how to measure contrails' environmental impact and what solutions, including route adjustments, Delta is pursuing to reduce it.