Enhancing Noise Management Strategy: Recommendations from the strategy literature.

Airports are required to manage noise impact owing to their requirement to obtain a social license to operate, and to comply with legislation such as the ICAO Balanced Approach and Environmental Noise Directive. Research has however shown that noise management actions and interventions often take a techno-centric approach, are implemented in silos, and that their success beyond noise metrics is rarely evaluated. Moreover, the success of Noise Action Plans in driving long-term noise management outcomes has also been critiqued at a number of levels. In the context of this background, this paper outlines the case for more strategic approaches to noise management and, drawing on the academic strategic literature, outlines approaches to developing such strategies that can be followed by airports. The aim of such approaches is to complement existing noise management guidance by providing step-processes that can aid airports in developing robust, repeatable, evaluable, and successful noise management strategies that are consistent with wider airport strategy and that are sympathetic to the needs of airport residents.