How satellite technology could cut airplane noise around Vancouver airport

Communities in Metro Vancouver and beyond could be hearing less airplane noise under an initiative to streamline flight arrivals and departures at Vancouver International Airport (YVR).

The Vancouver airspace modernization project aims to consolidate the flight paths for the hundreds of airplanes that use YVR every day, and change the way they land — all with the assistance of satellites.

Nav Canada, which owns and operates Canada's air traffic control system and is running the project, says it estimates as many as 61,000 fewer residents would experience noise levels above 60 decibels — normal speaking volume — if the flight paths are streamlined, as the planes would fly over fewer homes.

"Similar to cars, we have invisible highways in the sky that are used by planes," said Nav Canada spokesperson Jonathan Bagg. "As time goes by, we need to update that infrastructure similar to roads.

"We need to have a modern infrastructure to support newer types of airplanes and be prepared for future growth, as well."

Residents across southern B.C. can provide their input on the project in a series of consultations — both online and in-person — beginning this week and until the end of January.

Airplane noise has been a hot-button issue in Metro Vancouver municipalities in the past, particularly in Delta and Richmond, where the airport is located.

Plan to reduce emissions

A master plan released by YVR in 2017 estimated that the total number of passengers per year would grow by 56 per cent in 20 years.

However, that plan has since been amended due to the downturn in air traffic brought on by COVID-19 restrictions.

Bagg says the modernization plan would help in the long term.

"A lot of this is really about future proofing and ensuring we have the infrastructure we need to accommodate future demand for travel," he said.

A key part of the new system would be required navigation performance (RNP), which would allow planes to leverage satellite positioning to fly extremely precise routes.

"If you think conventionally in the past, a plane needed to fly toward a signal that was located on the ground," Bagg said, referring to ground-based navigation systems within air traffic control rooms.

"[With] this new type of route, we can design shorter routes, so less distance to fly, which also means less fuel burn and less greenhouse gas emissions."

In addition, with the aid of satellites, planes don't have to use as much thrust when touching down — a method of landing called a "continuous descent operation."

The new landing methods are estimated to be 1-5 decibels quieter than usual methods. 

Nav Canada says around 40-50 per cent of airplanes operating at YVR can already use the technology, with that number expected to climb in the years to come.

Councillor encourages participation

Dylan Kruger, a Delta councillor, said the city would be encouraging residents to attend the consultations and have their concerns heard by officials.

"[There] will be opportunities for residents to come and point out their specific property on the map," he said. "See how the proposed changes will impact [them] because it is so site-specific."

Kruger pointed to a 2017 projection that showed a 438 per cent increase in daily aircraft movements above the Tsawwassen area in two decades, and a 154 per cent increase for neighbouring North Delta. He said Delta council has previously advocated for new airplane routes that would go over the city's less densely populated areas.

Kruger said that city staff had a "very strong" working relationship with Nav Canada and YVR, and the city would be releasing announcements about the consultations through its social media channels in the new year.

Bagg says Nav Canada would look at the results of the public consultation and amend the proposal as needed. He says the implementation of the plan likely wouldn't go into effect until late 2023.

"[The enhancements] are designed to contribute to both operational efficiency and environmental sustainability at the airport," a YVR spokesperson said in a statement. 

"We look forward to the outcomes of the planned consultation and advancing this important work in collaboration with Nav Canada."