Airport Noise

The Board of Supervisors canceled its November 2023 Transportation and Land Use Committee; however, county staff provided an update about its work with Vinair, the consulting firm hired by Loudoun County to analyze noise from Dulles International Airport.

• Review the November 21, 2023 Memo to the Board of Supervisors (PDF)

The project team continues to document and analyze existing operations at Dulles International Airport (IAD) as it prepares to begin meeting with the county Airport Noise Work Group in January 2024. This work will help to inform technical discussions on possible operational adjustments to alleviate noise impacts. 

The baseline assessment includes review of:

• Total operations (pre- and post-COVID)
• Runway use statistics and trends (pre- and post-COVID)
• Review of Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) IAD Noise Reports (10-year historical review)
• Review of noise complaints and social media for understanding of community issues and concerns
• Review of land use (current and historical) in Loudoun County
• Designation of study area (area of interest)
• Review of published procedures 
• Review of IAD noise exposure with focus on Loudoun County and communities west of IAD

Additionally, the project team is documenting “Aviation Stakeholder Roles and Responsibilities;” a clarification that will enable participants in the community process to better understand which entity—such as MWAA, IAD operations, or various agencies within the FAA—has purview over various decision points. 

In the meantime, county staff is identifying community representatives for the community Airport Noise Work Group that will guide the project’s work.

For more information about the current project, visit loudoun.gov/AirportNoiseWorkGroup.

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With the goal of engaging the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regarding noise experienced by communities west of Dulles International Airport, the Board of Supervisors, during its October 3, 2023, meeting, authorized plans to assemble a work group representing communities in that part of Loudoun.

The move comes in response to residents’ concerns about noise, particularly those residents whose homes are in areas nearest to the airport’s only east-west runway. Following the January 17, 2023, approval of a new Airport Impact Overlay District, which affects how properties within it can be developed, the Board voted to engage the FAA to better understand future options available to address community concerns about airplane noise.

As proposed, the work group would include ten members who represent the areas west of the airport based on a combination of geography and community affiliation. Vianair, a consultant hired by the county to assist with FAA engagement, has advised that creating the work group demonstrates the county’s level of interest and improves the chances of that engagement.

Next, staff members will reach out to the communities to identify representation for the group so that Vianair can begin its work with them by January.

More Information

For more information about the Airport Impact Overlay District and to sign up for email and text updates, visit loudoun.gov/airportdistrict.

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The Loudoun Board of Supervisors voted during its July 18, 2023, meeting to send a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) outlining the Board’s views about Dulles International Airport in response to the federal agency’s requested public input about its Civil Aviation Noise Policy.

The letter will be sent as the county staff endeavors to work with the FAA to address noise concerns raised by residents living west of Dulles International Airport. In the letter, which is signed by Chair Phyllis Randall, the Board requests the FAA require two noise exposure studies when airports reach certain operational thresholds; consider amendments to the federal Aviation Safety and Noise Abatement Act of 1979; create guidance for establishing public outreach programs and advisory committees; and create funding programs to award grants to residential and commercial landowners impacted by aviation-related noise.

Currently, county staff has hired a consultant to assist the Board in engaging the FAA and making recommendations related to residents living west of the airport’s east-west aligned runway. 

Anyone can provide input to the FAA about its Civil Aviation Noise Policy by visiting the FAA website at: https://www.faa.gov/noisepolicyreview. The deadline for input has been extended to September 29, 2023. 

More Information

Read the staff report prepared for the Board of Supervisors July 18, 2023, meeting: Federal Aviation Administration Community Process to Mitigate Aircraft Noise within the Area of the Airport Impact Overlay District (PDF)

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