Almost all the noise complaints filed last month at three major airports came from Queens, according to data obtained by The Courier.
More than 700 calls about airplane noise flooded LaGuardia Airport this June, while 348 grievances came in about John F. Kennedy International Airport, according to statistics from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Out of 1,061 total complaints that poured in last month, only 18 complaints were made to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
The complaints came from almost 200 homes in Queens, mostly in Flushing and Bayside, according to Port Authority data collected June 1-30.
About 500 complaints to LaGuardia were from those neighborhoods, with a majority of calls coming from residents near Travis Triangle and Bowne Park.
Residents from across the Queens border in nearby Floral Park made most of the complaints to JFK, a total of 200.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved a new flight pattern last December, much to the dismay of residents who say the procedure causes nonstop noise from low-flying planes.
The Port Authority and the FAA said they expect upcoming projects to reduce noise.
Representatives from both agencies addressed the Queens Borough President’s Aviation Advisory Council on July 22.
They said plans to soon rebuild and modernize the Central Terminal Building at LaGuardia would allow for larger planes on the runways. With more passengers per plane, that would mean fewer aircraft in the sky.
Officials also said by 2016, airports will be mandated to only use planes with engine sound-absorbing designs.
Planes going in and out of New York airports, with the exception of corporate aircraft, are currently “Stage 3” planes. The designation means engines are moved further into the interior of the plane to lessen noise.
Propellers are also shaped to deaden sound.
Barbara Brown, chair of the Eastern Queens Alliance, said larger planes would not be helpful.
“Even if flights are getting quieter, that won’t mean anything if there are more flights taking place in general,” she said.
Port Authority officials said they are also in the process of replacing 22 noise monitoring terminals and should be done by spring 2014.
They added that a public website will soon launch for people to monitor noise decibel readings and file noise complaints.
U.S. Senators Charles Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand and multiple congressmembers from the city and Long Island have called for more action. They recently sent a letter to Port Authority executive director Patrick Foye urging his agency to create an airport advisory committee.
“It is simple common sense to say that the largest metropolitan area in the country should have an airport advisory committee like the one we are proposing,” Schumer said, “a body that would help increase quality of life for locals.”
The New York state legislature passed a bill this year that would require the Port Authority to conduct a one-time study to determine the effects of aircraft noise on Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island and Jersey residents.
It awaits Governor Andrew Cuomo’s signature in New York and ultimately needs New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s approval as well.
Additional reporting by Johann Hamilton
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