Noise Issues
Flight Tracking
The Airport now uses WebTrak to provide flight information to the public and to track noise inquiries. A PDF of WebTrak instructions is available to guide you through the process. To report a noise complaint, please utilize the noise inquiry form on WebTrak or contact the toll-free 24-hour Noise Concerns Hotline at 1.800.441.0409
Community Update
The web address for the FAA Community Noise page for Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) has been updated. The page can now be found here.
In October 2019, the FAA announced its intent to conduct an Environmental Assessment as required by the National Environmental Policy Act for proposed amendments to the SLAPP and OROSZ departure procedures from BUR. The announcement can be viewed here.
Community concerns have been raised regarding proposed changes to the Van Nuys Airport (VNY) departure procedures which may impact current Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) departure procedures. On August 26, 2019 the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority (BGPAA) delivered a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration Western Pacific Region requesting clarification. The letter can be viewed here. The FAA’s response was received by the BGPAA on November 21, 2019. That response letter can be viewed here.
On August 26, 2019, the Authority sent letters to the Chief Executive Officers of all seven airlines serving Hollywood Burbank Airport, requesting that the airlines adhere to historical flight paths that minimize drifting south and optimize aircraft ascent. These letters and the corresponding attachments can be viewed below.
Alaska Airlines Group, Inc.
American Airlines Group, Inc.
Delta Air Lines, Inc. | Delta Air Lines response
Jetblue Airways Corporation
Southwest Airlines Co. | Southwest Airlines Co. response
Spirit Airlines, Inc.
United Airlines, Inc.
Attachment-All Airlines CEOs
On August 19, 2019 a letter in response to the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority correspondence of June 27 and July 19, 2019 was received from the Federal Aviation Administration Western Pacific Region. The letter can be viewed here.
On July 19, 2019 The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority composed a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration requesting that the FAA take action in the interim to ensure historical flight patterns are used by aircraft operators at the Airport. The letter can be viewed here.
On June 17, 2019 The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority Adopted Resolution NO. 483 – A Resolution of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority Commission Recommending to the Federal Aviation Administration Hollywood Burbank Airport Takeoff Flight Pattern Adjustments. This resolution and an accompanying letter were mailed to the FAA on June 27, 2019. The letter and resolution can be viewed here.
The December 10, 2018 letter to the FAA Re: Proposed Amendment to OROSZ and SLAPP Area Navigation Departure Procedures at Hollywood Burbank Airport – Request for Consideration of Dispersal Headings/Other Lateral Track Variations to Address Community Noise Concerns, can be viewed here. The FAA’s response, dated March 27, 2019, can be viewed here.
The FAA is proposing a new departure procedure out of Hollywood Burbank Airport and held a public workshop in early November. Community members who did not have the opportunity to attend and learn more about the proposed departure procedure out of Hollywood Burbank Airport can view the material presented here.
Attention, community members: Many residents of Burbank, Studio City, Sherman Oaks, and other communities south of Hollywood Burbank Airport have shared with the Airport Authority their concerns about flight tracks and aircraft noise. In response to those concerns, the Airport Authority retained the services of an outside consultant, Landrum & Brown, to examine flight track data, analyze whether there have been changes to historic flight patterns, and provide potential causes and contexts for any changes found.
The flight path analysis final report was presented at a public meeting on Thursday, October 18, 2018, at the Buena Vista Library in Burbank. The full report can be found here.
Addressing the impact of aircraft noise has been a high priority at Hollywood Burbank Airport since the Airport Authority purchased the Airport from Lockheed in 1978. Since then, Authority policies and acoustical treatment of nearby schools and over 1,800 homes have combined with the improvement of aircraft technology and airline cooperation in keeping nighttime commercial flights to a minimum to allow substantial progress.
The Noise Impact Area as defined by the State of California has shrunk from 403 acres of incompatible land use in 1978 to under 20 acres today, a 95% reduction.
The Authority remains committed to its acoustical treatment program and pursuing additional measures aimed at decreasing nighttime aircraft noise at this Airport and in the entire San Fernando Valley
Nighttime Noise Relief
Between the hours of 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. local time, takeoffs and landings of “noisy” aircraft are prohibited. Operations caused by emergencies, use of the Airport as a weather alternative, and air traffic control delays are permitted.
The Federal Aviation Regulations contain specific sections, or “parts,” that describe how noise studies are to be conducted to improve the compatibility between airports and the sensitive land uses that surround them. The Airport has done both a Part 150 Study and a Part 161 Study.
In November 2009, the FAA issued its finding that the Part 161 Study did not justify the imposition of the mandatory curfew. However, the Airport Authority continues to seek new avenues that can lead to meaningful relief from nighttime aircraft noise and is currently engaging the airlines, the FAA, the City of Burbank, and the local community in dialogue on that subject.
In March 2018, the Airport Authority contracted with Landrum & Brown to analyze flight pattern and noise impact data in response to community concerns. In May 2018, Landrum & Brown issued its preliminary findings to the Airport Authority’s Operations and Development Committee. Additional findings will be presented to the community as the study continues
Sound Insulation Program
The Airport, in conjunction with the Federal Aviation Administration, has implemented a Residential Acoustical Treatment Program (RATP) that insulates qualified residential units in Burbank and Los Angeles.
The RATP is the result of the Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Part 150 Study, originally completed in 1989 and subsequently updated in 2000, 2003, 2012, and 2015, that determined which neighborhoods, that determined which neighborhoods, noise-sensitive public buildings, and local jurisdictional boundaries lie within the noise-impacted area surrounding the Airport. Facilities identified by the study are eligible to receive noise mitigation treatments funded by federal grants and local matching funds supplied by the Airport Authority.
The Authority has implemented two primary mitigation measures approved by the Part 150 Study: insulation of homes within the 65 CNEL impact area (the area where aircraft noise exceeds an average of 65 decibels over a 24-hour period); acquiring aviation easements for homes in the 65 CNEL impact area (easements allowing aircraft to fly over the home without the threat of a future lawsuit by the property owner against the Airport Authority).
Under the insulation program, consultants for the Authority design a specific treatment for each home to ensure that interior noise levels will always remain quiet enough to enjoy the normal use of the home, no matter how much aircraft activity there might be. The acoustical treatment may include door and window replacement, attic insulation, weather stripping, ventilation, and air conditioning. Once designed, the treatment is installed by licensed, bonded contractors selected by the Authority.
This program is free of cost to the property owner, provided he or she grants the Authority an aviation easement.
For more information, read the Program Guidance Letter or contact Airport Staff.
Staff Contacts
Aircraft Noise Issues
Toll-Free 24-Hour Noise Complaint Hotline: 800.441.0409
WebTrak Noise Inquiry
WebTrak Instructions
Daytime Telephone: 818.840.8840
Kyle Porter: Ext. 3512
Home Sound Insulation Program
Kyle Porter: 818.840.8840, Ext. 3512
Part 150 Study
Maggie Martinez: 818.840.8840, Ext. 2226