Assessing the effect of airport operations on air quality and noise in nearby communities

Expected outcome

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Assessment of the impact of airport operations on air quality and water bodies (including biodiversity) through air quality measurements and monitoring at different spots in and around the airports as well as through in vitro testing and/or remote sensing for water quality in airports close to water bodies
• Contributing to the delivery of better emission factors for emissions inventories and projections (including EMEP), especially for species and fuel mixtures for which little knowledge exists today in order to support local, regional, national and international emissions reduction plans (e.g. Noise Plans, Air Quality Roadmaps, Air Quality Plans, national Air Pollution Control Programmes, as mentioned in EU acquis) by providing real-world emission information and measuring the actual impact of control measures and strategies.
• Recommendations for improved measurement certification and testing to better cover real world situations.
• Develop a methodology to assess the health impact (both the nature, seriousness and number of people at risk) of the measured pollutants and noise in airports or at the nearby urban environment and apply it to the test sites.

Scope

Aviation emissions not only have an impact on climate change and on GHG emissions but also on-air quality as it is recognized that airport-related sources of emissions release pollutants that can contribute to the degradation of air quality of their nearby communities. As such, air quality and noise issues in the vicinity of airports need to be investigated, quantified and addressed. Airports operations can generate water pollution due to their extensive handling of jet fuel and de-icing chemicals, which, if not contained, can contaminate nearby water bodies. Similarly, attention must be given to other possible airport-related environmental impacts associated with noise, water quality, and local ecology in the vicinity of airports.

In order to address these issues, the following R&I actions should be undertaken:

• Comprehensive real time and real-world measurements of pollutant (exhaust and non-exhaust, including resuspension of dust) and noise emissions. The sources of emissions should be differentiated, and the pollutants identified. Operations should include ground operations, landing and take-off (including emissions from tyres and brakes) and assessing exhaust emission during cruising, including impact of changes in flight altitude on engine performance parameters (stationary engine tests). The calibration of the measurement systems and the reproducibility of the results should be demonstrated.
• Pilot testing in 2 different airports (possibility as well for testing on other complex transport nodes) for proof of concept with the aim of increasing scalability and replicability for other similar environments. Proposals are expected to select specific airports that are in vicinity of urban/rural communities and close to water streams/bodies, to examine and quantify the effect of airport emissions on air quality, noise and water bodies.
• Investigation of the adverse health and environmental effects (including biodiversity) of particle emissions, NOx, and non-regulated emissions (e.g. black carbon, tyre and brake particles, secondary organic aerosols, etc.) generated from aircraft and airport operations. The analysis should be supported by gender disaggregated data collection and intersectional analysis.
• Estimates of the impact of APUs (Auxiliary Power Unit) or GPUs (Ground Power Units) to stationary aircrafts’ emissions (GHG, air pollutants and noise) compared to conventional operation.

Proposals should consider the results from previously EU funded projects such as AVIATOR, nPETS, TUBE, ANIMA , NEEDED or any other similar projects.

To assess the effects of airport operations on air quality in nearby communities, proposals may consider involving the Forum for Air Quality Modelling (FAIRMODE), a JRC-led forum fostering air quality modelling improvement and robust benchmarking, and the JRC tool SHERPA (Screening for High Emission Reduction Potential on Air), an integrated assessment model to plan local emission reduction policies.