The unit for measuring aircraft noise will be changed from the existing WECPNL to Lden㏈, a unit similar to the decibel (㏈) used for environmental noise and other transportation modes such as road and rail noise.
On the 18th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that it will give a 40-day legislative notice from the 21st of this month until the 30th of next month for the amendment of the "Enforcement Decree and Enforcement Rules of the Act on Prevention of Airport Noise and Support for Noise Countermeasure Areas," which includes the change of aircraft noise units.
The currently used WECPNL measures noise by calculating the maximum noise levels and frequency of aircraft noise during day and night, whereas Lden㏈ calculates the average noise energy by time period, resulting in a noise level that better reflects actual perceived noise.
Once this amendment is implemented, from 2023, aircraft noise units will also use Lden㏈. This will allow easy comparison with domestic environmental noise and noise from other transportation modes that use the same equivalent noise level method, as well as with aircraft noise standards in other countries such as the United States, Europe, and Japan.
After the enforcement decree and rules are amended by the end of this year, the Regional Aviation Offices will conduct noise impact surveys and announce noise countermeasure areas applying the new Lden㏈ unit for six airports (Incheon, Gimpo, Gimhae, Jeju, Ulsan, Yeosu) in the second half of next year.
The amendment also includes provisions to give preferential treatment to small business owners and SMEs located in noise-affected areas around airports, and to enable more active communication with residents when implementing policies related to aircraft noise damage.
For SMEs with their main offices in noise countermeasure areas, airport operators will be able to give preferential treatment in various construction projects, manufacturing and purchasing of goods, and service contracts.
Additionally, when pursuing policies that may expand aircraft noise-affected areas, such as changing flight paths or reducing nighttime flight curfew hours, the opinions of noise countermeasure committees established and operating at each airport must be heard.
Joo Jong-wan, Director of Airport Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "We plan to announce in the second half of this year measures to improve airport noise management and damage support, including strengthening the accountability of noise sources such as airlines and reorganizing noise countermeasure projects that have a high perceived impact on residents.
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