Blue planet, green ideas | Fewer planes for more peaceful skies

In the Netherlands, one of the busiest airports in the world has decided to stand up to the powerful aeronautics sector by putting forward measures to reduce noise pollution.

The Dutch government has adopted a plan to reduce the number of takeoffs and landings by almost 10%. Concretely, the maximum number of flights per year at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol could increase from 500,000 to 452,500 from November 2024, specified the government executive which had to defend its decision all the way to the Court of Justice. call in the face of discontent in the aeronautics sector.

In several densely populated neighborhoods on the island of Montreal, the noise coming from the sky is stupefying. “Particularly at night,” laments Pierre Lachapelle, a resident of Ahuntsic who has been campaigning for 10 years within the “Les pollués de Montréal-Trudeau” group. »

He and his team of citizens are calling for the application of a complete curfew at night, from 11 p.m. until 7 a.m. They installed stations to measure noise pollution before finally obtaining, in 2018, authorization for collective action. Today, they are documenting this noise while retaining the right to go to court.

Tony Leroux, full professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Montreal, devotes his research to the effects of noise on hearing and health. He believes it is time for Canada to consider penalties for non-emergency flights outside normal hours.

“There is a noise that makes you deaf, and there is a noise that has an effect on your health. We are talking about 80 decibels and more over a long period, for an effect on hearing. But when we talk about environmental noise, for example to wake someone up in the middle of the night, in their bedroom, we are talking about 30 to 35 decibels. Airplanes are intermittent sources of noise, causing sudden awakenings. It is recognized that they have an impact on the quality of sleep, on cardiovascular health, and on the regulation of stress hormones. »

At Montreal-Trudeau Airport (YUL), air traffic has picked up again since the end of confinement, with a forecast of nearly 20 million passengers in 2023.

At the management of Aéroports de Montréal (ADM), spokesperson Éric Forest indicates that there are noise mitigation measures. And that there is “a plan to put in place several measures to continue reducing noise impacts on neighboring communities”.

Currently, large jets weighing more than 45,000 kilograms (an Airbus 319 weighs 35,400 kg) must fly during normal hours, 7 a.m. to midnight for takeoffs, and 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. for flights. landings. However, the ADM retains the power to grant exemptions for medical emergencies, delays or bad weather conditions.

Montreal Saint-Hubert Airport

On the South Shore, many citizens are disturbed by the noise coming from the Montreal Saint-Hubert airport (YHU). The “Longueuil Aircraft Anti-Pollution Committee” wants to limit the impact of the expansion of aeronautical activities. Once a small flight school, the airport has become a transportation hub for northern Quebec.

In spring 2022, public consultations took place with the support of Bloc MP Denis Trudel. According to him, citizens want nothing to do with an international airport, with sun destinations.

“It’s not normal for an airport not to offset its carbon footprint,” says the MP contacted by telephone. At the same time, it doesn’t make sense to pay $2,000 for a flight to Abitibi. Now, it seems to me that we can offer flights in an eco-responsible way. And in this sense, the airport has agreed to install noise stations so that we can measure in real time what is flying above our heads. Among other things, I am campaigning for the flight schools to be moved. »

Member of the Longueuil Aircraft Anti-Pollution Committee, Marie-Pierre Brunelle remains realistic.

“Demand from major economic players is strong. Montréal-Trudeau (YUL) is running at full speed. We approached elected officials to talk to them about night flights. But the aeronautics lobby is strong in Quebec. The crux of the matter is money. And, to this day, there is no such thing as a silent commercial plane. »