Impact case study database

The research findings have been transferred through two key routes. First, a substantial volume of research has been conducted with – and funded by – airport industry partners, especially Heathrow and Manchester Airports Group. Second, through appointments to advisory panels and committees at national and international levels (see Section 3), the researchers have had unprecedented opportunities to share findings and drive the adoption of evidence-based practice relating to aircraft noise, community engagement and carbon management.

Improving airport-community dialogue and collaboration around aircraft noise

The research on noise, metrics and community engagement was developed, in part, through applied research conducted at Heathrow Airport (e.g. reference [3]). Heathrow is Europe’s most noise-affected airport and one of the UK’s three airports regulated for noise and night flights. As such, it plays a de facto role in developing, disseminating and guiding evidence-based best practice around noise management.

Commenting on the OMEGA-funded research, Heathrow’s Head of Noise Strategy (formerly Head of Noise across BAA UK airports) says: “I recognised that this research directly addressed problems we were encountering in our attempts to communicate complex noise matters to local communities as part of our efforts to engage them in dialogue on noise management” [A].

Drawing on this project, and recommendations from supplementary commissioned research (see Sections 2-3), Heathrow changed its methods for both noise reporting and how it conducts meaningful dialogue with local communities [A]. Today it goes “beyond compliance” in its noise reporting, for example, providing data on aircraft heights and numbers of flights. xPlane and the WebTrak system, for example, are tools that enable local residents to visualise and access data on flights, flight paths and noise levels [B]. Heathrow’s Community Noise Reports for the 21 most noise-affected communities (over 1,000,000 affected residents) also go beyond minimum reporting requirements, for example, extending to 51db L_eq (rather than conventional 57db) with disaggregated noise metrics focusing on the loudness, number and timing of individual events and operational data, such as radar flight track charts and event histograms [A,B]. The Chair of the Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise (HACAN) lobby group states that the 51db L_eq contour “is a much more accurate reflection of the reality on the ground and goes beyond that required by regulation in terms of noise reporting” [C]. Heathrow’s Airspace and Noise Performance Annual Report 2018 also includes supplementary noise metrics, and highlights the airport’s commitment to community engagement in its ‘Noise Action Plan’ stating that: “Our noise management framework has a structure similar to the ICAO Balanced Approach with a fifth pillar on community engagement” [B].

Heathrow’s Head of Noise Strategy summarises thus: “ I am not aware of any other airport that publishes as wide a range of community noise reports including such supplementary information. LHR has led the way in publishing and utilising a wider range of metrics to enhance transparency and is often cited by other airports and community groups as best practice” [A].

Heathrow’s sector-leading practice is recognised by HACAN, which has several thousand members and is the ‘go to’ group for Heathrow community dialogue [C]. HACAN’s Chair describes a “huge shift in Heathrow’s engagement and communication with its local communities. It has listened to many of the residents’ key concerns and indeed has encouraged them to shape future policies… There is no doubt, in my view, that MMU research has influenced Heathrow. In its attitude towards, and work with, local communities Heathrow is a changed organisation from the one I started dealing with 20 years ago” [C]. Concrete examples of strong collaborative working around noise management include two joint Heathrow-HACAN submissions to recent DfT policy consultations, one on the need for an independent noise oversight body (the Independent Commission for Civil Aviation Noise (ICCAN) was established in 2019; Hooper is an expert advisor), and the second relating to airspace change [A,C]

Both Heathrow and HACAN confirm that the Manchester Metropolitan research informed the Heathrow Working Group on Respite from Aircraft Noise (Hooper participated, Thomas is on the steering group) [A,C]. Findings allowed the airport to develop a rigorous approach to offer systematic noise relief to over 22,000,000 people living within the proposed expanded airport’s noise envelope. The airport is unique in its commitment to provide respite to communities when future airspace changes are implemented, irrespective of any final decision on Runway 3 [A,C].

Other airports are beginning to follow Heathrow’s lead. Work by Hooper in 2014 directly informed Stansted Airport’s response to airspace modernisation currently underway, the outcome of which will impact on approximately 250,000 residents within 20km of the airport. Specifically, the airport changed how it reports noise exposure, extending L_eq noise contours to below conventional thresholds and including “number-above 70dB” (N70) supplementary metric in their publications [D]. These changes were made prior to the ICCAN review of aviation noise metrics, which cites a key output from the ANIMA project (see Section 3) co-authored by Hooper, that recommends airports now publish both L_eq and N-type indicators as standard [D].

Finally, the significance of Heathrow’s leadership in noise management is evident from its collaboration with ACI Europe’s Noise Task Force in 2015-2017 to define a noise research roadmap that draws directly on Manchester Metropolitan’s work. It emphasises the importance of building effective community relationships to underpin efforts to address non-acoustic factors and enhance the value of airport interventions to mitigate noise and improve quality of life [A].

Creation of the Airport Carbon Accreditation scheme drives emissions reductions

Through the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) pilot work with Manchester Airport and Thomas’ appointment to the ACA Advisory Board, evidence from the airport system carbon footprinting research (references [6]) directly shaped ACA’s accounting principles and methods, specifically the inclusion of Scope 3 emissions within the scheme. Consequently, all airports accredited at Levels 3/3+ and 4/4+ calculate and report Scope 3 emissions [E,F].

ACA is the only independent and widely-recognised global carbon management standard for airports and is commended by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) [E]. As of July 2020, there were 312 ACA-accredited airports worldwide, representing more than 3,700,000,000 air passengers (nearly half of the global total), which indicates the significant reach of the scheme. Collectively, these airports reduced emissions within their control or ownership by 322,297tCO₂ in 2019 compared to 2018 (4.9% annual reduction). Cumulative CO₂ reductions since July 2013 are 1,419,387tCO₂ (equivalent to planting and growing 23,000,000 tree seedlings for ten years) [G]. Notably, 121 airports have been accredited to Level 3/3+ (required to engage with stakeholders around Scope 3 emissions) [E]. Since the launch of Level 4/4+ in November 2020 (see Section 2), three airports have been accredited; their required Stakeholder Partnership Plans outline absolute reductions in Scope 3 emissions [E,F].

Manchester Metropolitan’s research continues to underpin ACI leadership in airport carbon management. In 2019, ACI adopted a Resolution that first called on its member airports to commit to net zero carbon emissions (Scope 1 and Scope 2) by 2050. It also called on the whole aviation sector to chart a pathway towards net zero. ACI’s Director General confirms the contribution of Manchester Metropolitan’s research to this policy position: Thomas drafted two Board papers that underpinned the Resolution; Paling is now guiding airport operators to embed stakeholder engagement (e.g. with aircraft operators) into their net zero roadmaps [E].

Advancing skills and capacity for carbon management in less developed regions

Based on the underpinning research, ACI Global Training awarded its training contract for environmental and carbon management to Manchester Metropolitan in 2010 and has since renewed it every three years. The training focuses on regions where environmental management is least developed. It covers carbon management best practice and highlights the benefits of including Scope 3 emissions for environmental risk reduction. Since August 2013, 13 in-house courses reached 227 staff from 44 global airport operators, with excellent feedback [H].

In 2008, Thomas and Hooper established Airport Footprints Ltd (AFL) with former PhD student, Marcus Sutcliffe, as the world’s only dedicated airport carbon management consultancy. AFL supports nine world airports (including Dublin, Abu Dhabi, Queen Alia, Antalya, Adelaide and Tallin) to introduce effective carbon management, including engaging with Scope 3 emissions. AFL has supported 334,000tCO₂e reductions (Scopes 1+2) since 2013, including 125,396tCO₂e reduction in Scope 3 emissions for airports in the Asia-Pacific region. [I]

Queen Alia International Airport (Jordan) is one example of the significant impact of this training and AFL consultancy. A representative of the airport received training in 2012 and then approached AFL to develop a carbon management programme. The airport was hence the first in the Middle East to attain Level 3+ Accreditation in 2018 and has since achieved carbon savings of over 106,000tCO₂e. ACI acknowledged the airport’s excellence in carbon management in the ACA Annual Report 2017/18 – the only non-European airport to receive such an accolade. Since 2015 the airport has achieved energy cost savings of USD3,000,000 (10-2020) whilst growing infrastructure by 40%. This success effectively sets the benchmark in the region for carbon management; AFL is supporting Level 4+ Accreditation [I].