ADS-B System as a Useful Tool for Testing and Redrawing Noise Management Strategies at Pisa Airport

Noise pollution can significantly limit the growth of the communities located nearby an airport. Pisa International Airport has recently presented its action plan, which includes both the construction of a runway link that increases the take-off run length and the introduction of the ICAO-A noise-abatement procedure. Nevertheless, the airport still needs to develop new strategies to ensure an effective noise reduction as a response to the growing aircraft traffic. This paper shows an innovative approach for managing airport noise on the closest urban areas based on the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) technology. ADS-B output data were used to track the flight departures with high data resolution and then to verify both the effectiveness of the action plan and the compliance with its provisions. A penetration gate was strategically set considering the departures towards the city. The vertical distribution of the traffic crossing the gate and the correlation between take-off conditions and noise-related events were investigated in order to establish rules for penalties due to the lack of compliance with the action plan requirements. The results confirmed that ADS-B system could be considered a smart tool producing cost-effective solutions for the airport noise management in urban areas, particularly when the radar tracks are not available.