TagRoger Wicker(1)

Office of the Administrator 800 Independence Ave., S.W. Washington, DC 20591 December 23, 2020 The Honorable Roger Wicker Chairman, Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Dear Mr. Chairman: This letter transmits the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report to Congress under Section 179 of Public Law 115-254, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (the Act). Section 179 directs the FAA to submit a report on the results of an Airport Noise Mitigation and Safety Study that includes the following: (1) review and evaluate existing studies and analyses of the relationship between jet aircraft approach and takeoff speeds and corresponding noise impacts on communities surrounding airports; (2) determine whether a decrease in jet aircraft approach or takeoff speeds results in significant aircraft noise reductions; (3) determine whether the jet aircraft approach or takeoff speed reduction necessary to achieve significant noise reductions jeopardizes aviation safety; or decreases the efficiency of the National Airspace System, including lowering airport capacity, increasing travel times, or increasing fuel burn; (4) determine the advisability of using jet aircraft approach or takeoff speeds as a noise mitigation technique; and (5) if the Administrator determines that using jet aircraft approach or takeoff speeds as a noise mitigation technique is advisable, whether any of the metropolitan areas specifically identified in Section 189(b)(2) of the Act would benefit from such a noise mitigation technique without a significant impact to aviation safety or the efficiency of the National Airspace System. We look forward to continued collaboration with…