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“Clear and irrefutable evidence of harm”: AEF policy recommendations following new noise research

30th June, 2026

For the first time in ten years, the UK Government has published new research on the effect of aviation noise on the public. Aviation Noise Attitudes Survey (ANAS) and the Department for Transport companion Aviation Night Noise Effects (ANNE) study are the most significant update to the aviation noise evidence base in over a decade. Together, they show that people are highly annoyed at far lower noise levels than current policy recognises.

The headline finding: the noise level at which 10% of the population report being highly annoyed has fallen from 54 dB LAeq,16h (identified by SoNA) to 43 dB LAeq,16h. Night-time noise tells the same story, with significant sleep disturbance recorded at similarly low levels. These findings align with World Health Organisation guidelines that UK policy has long ignored.

What are AEF’s policy recommendations? 

There is now clear and irrefutable evidence of much greater community impacts and harms now attributable to aircraft noise, and this should be reflected in policy. Noise should be ascribed far higher priority in CAP1616, the Air Navigation Guidance (a revised version is due very shortly), night flight policy and aviation policy generally. New values should urgently be adopted in TAG costings. And new noise regulatory and management processes should be put in place.  

More specifically the government should urgently commit to three actions in the light of these findings:

  1. First, no further airport expansion should be approved unless and until current policies have been comprehensively modernised and new processes and noise reduction targets agreed. Aircraft noise policy, regulation and management are profoundly inadequate to deal with the level of community annoyance and harms identified.
  2. Secondly, noise reduction targets should be set, monitored and enforced at all airports. Existing planning approvals were based on policy and data that the Department for Transport has known for many years is materially out of date. The government should set new noise reduction targets for all major airports using powers in the Civil Aviation Act 1982 and the Transport Act 2000. Those targets should require noise and harm to reduce rapidly. Any growth in aircraft numbers should only be allowed once new targets have been agreed and achieved, and new flightpaths – meant to deliver noise and emissions reductions – have been determined.
  3. Thirdly, airspace modernisation processes should be required to prioritise material reductions in the harms caused by aircraft noise rather than just increases in capacity and reductions in industry costs.