ASSESSMENT OF NOISE IMPACT OF AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS AROUND PODGORICA AIRPORT

Abstract

Abstract:This paper analyses impact of aircraft noise on community around Podgorica Airport, Montenegro. The airport is located 12 km from the city centre of the Montenegro capital, Podgorica. It served 1.3 million passengers and 7.5 thousand operations in 2019. The noise impact assessment is conducted in IMPACT web-based modelling platform using the distribution of operations by aircraft types, time of the day, and radar tracks for the busiest day (August 15) in 2019. Noise contours are assessed for L_den and L_night indicators. They were merged with the Global Human Settlement Layer to assess the number of people exposed to different noise levels. In addition, based on the World Health Organization recommended exposure levels related to their health implications, the percentages of the population highly annoyed and highly sleep-disturbed are estimated. Furthermore, facilities of public importance (schools, hospitals, churches, etc.) are assessed against compatibility with the requirements set for the Zones with increased noise protection in national regulations. The results show that the exposure of community around Podgorica Airport to aircraft noise is still not a serious issue. The near vicinity of the airport is industrial zone and the number of people highly annoyed by noise is approximately 3.2% of the total city population. Nevertheless, it is crucial to draw attention to planners to preserve airport neighbourhood from potential inhabiting, to avoid problems that some airports in the region are facing nowadays.