Overall, however, noise levels at FLL for all airlines are below the federal standards. The effort to manage noise pollution at FLL is ongoing. The airport authorities have submitted Noise Mitigation Principles to the FAA and are awaiting feedback on a preferred alternative for noise mitigation. The Broward County Board of County Commissioners also has a consultant to implement the noise mitigation program forthcoming.

Recommendations

The growth of FLL has mirrored growth in the region. The population of South Florida is expected to grow a further 25% by 2020. This will increase the strain on FLL. The lands adjacent to the airport are all developed, so there is little room for expansion. The 9R/27L runway, for example, cannot be expanded to accommodate jet traffic because of the course of I-95. Therefore, flights on the 9L/27R runway are expected to increase over the coming years. This will mean more night flights and an increase in noise incidents. The present strategy focusing on fleet mix and hours of operations will see a decrease in flexibility. The first recommendation, however, is to continue to use those methods as best as possible to help mitigate noise.

The second recommendation is to address the high incidence of violations on departures from 9L / 27R over Port Everglades. There is little that can be done in terms of reducing incidents themselves. To launch planes the other direction would put them over residential areas. However, the impacts of launching over Port Everglades can be mitigated by focusing departures in early morning and evening hours when the industrial lands are relatively unpopulated. There are also plans to expand 9R/27L. This will require use of eminent domain and a rerouting of existing roadways. The project will take several years, but will enable the airport to operate at a higher capacity. Some of the traffic density...

Because the aircraft will be smaller on the expanded runway, this option is not expected to dramatically increase noise pollution, since it is predominantly the major carriers who are responsible for the existing pollution problem.
The last recommendation, which can be done at the FAA level, is to explore the issue of greater noise reduction at the airline level. By implementing stricter standards, eventually even larger aircraft will contribute less to noise pollution at airports such as FLL that are located in dense urban areas.

Works Cited

No author. (no date). FLL International: Building a Green Airport. Clean Airport Partnership. Retrieved November 8, 2008 at http://www.cleanairports.com/reports/gai_fllforweb.pdf

No author. (2008). Noise Information. Broward County. Retrieved November 8, 2008 at http://www.broward.org/airport/community_noise.htm; http://www.broward.org/airport/pdfs/fll_pqs_q22008.pdf

Andrus, Katherine (2006) ATA Comments on FAA Noise Analysis for Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Air Transportation Association. Retrieved November 8, 2008 at http://www.airlines.org/NR/exeres/2E3BE77B-86CF-41E2-BADD-1936AC6250FB.htm no author). (2000). Aviation and the environment: airport operations and future growth present environmental challenges United States General Accounting Office. Retrieved November 8, 2008 at http://books.google.com/books?id=1yTVCGk7DfMC&printsec=frontcover&dq=fll+environment+noise&source=gbs_summary_r&cad=0

No author. (no date). FLL International: Building a Green Airport. Clean Airport Partnership.

A no author). (2000). Aviation and the environment: airport operations and future growth present environmental challenges United States General Accounting Office.

Andrus, Katherine (2006) ATA Comments on FAA Noise Analysis for Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Air Transportation Association.

No author. (no date). FLL International: Building a Green Airport. Clean Airport Partnership.

Second Quarter 2008 Broward County Quieter Skies Report