UK aviation noise forecast to fall over the next decade even as aviation continues to grow

The Airport Operator Spring 2025
Neil Robinson
March 2025

The UK has reached a tipping point “for the first time, where noise is going to start reducing, even whilst aviation continues to grow”, thanks to latest-generation aircraft, according to Neil Robinson, the Chair of Sustainable Aviation.

Robinson, who is Chief Sustainability Officer at MAG, wrote that “over the decades, more flying overall has meant more noise generated by aircraft. However, in the UK and for the first time, this latest road-map shows how we have reached a tipping point where noise is going to start reducing, even whilst aviation continues to grow. Aircraft are now coming into use 
that are very substantially quieter than those they replace. This reduction in per-plane noise will now outpace the growth in flights and over the UK as a whole noise will fall over the next 10-15 years”.

The 78-page road-map notes that each new aircraft is quieter (and more fuel efficient) than the one it replaces, with latest-generation aircraft demonstrating up to 50% noise reduction, compared to the legacy aircraft they are now replacing. As a result, UK aviation noise output is forecast to reduce by 35% in 2035 compared to 2019, despite a rise in air traffic movements. It says that continued noise research by UK industry, supported by government, can ensure this trend continues from the mid-2030s onwards.