Primary environmental concerns at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport

¶ … Environmental Concerns at FLL

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) is a major commercial hub airport. It ranks #2 among the three major airports serving South Florida, being Miami and ahead of West Palm Beach. It is the third-largest airport in Florida behind Miami and Orlando and the 22nd-largest airport in the United States according to 2007 passenger bookings. FLL handled over 22 million passengers last year. In 2001, it was the 28th-largest airport. The improvement in ranking amongst U.S. airports is indicative of FLL's strong growth in recent years. Part of this growth has been driven by discount airlines such as JetBlue, AirTran and Spirit Airlines who use FLL for South Florida services. The airport is also popular with foreign-based charter operators. The growth has also been fuelled by high costs and low service levels at Miami International (MIA), which have contributed to FLL's growth as an international airport.

While FLL is generally considered to have a good level of environmental stewardship, the airport's rapid expansion has led to some concerns. The most significant of these is with regards to noise. FLL's contribution to noise in the area is mitigated somewhat by the fact that it lies adjacent to the I-95, with takeoffs and landings crossing right over the freeway. Much of the surrounding area is zoned for industrial use, but there are residential zones subject to noise from the airport. The growth trajectory for FLL has been increasing, which has made nighttime flights more prevalent.

There are other environmental concerns for FLL as well. The airport is situated in the middle of a highly urbanized area of Broward County so the airport is not likely to contribute to new negative impacts with respect to wetlands or other facets of the nature environment. The airport is a significant contributor of emissions to the atmosphere, but prevailing wind and rain conditions generally disperse these emissions. As a result, air quality in Fort Lauderdale is generally good despite high emissions. Therefore the main problem for FLL is how to best manage its robust passenger growth while limiting noise pollution.

Current Procedures and Solutions

At present, FLL utilizes a multitude of tools and techniques to monitor and manage noise pollution. As early as 1992, FLL officials began to address the airport's noise problems. The airport set up a committee to study the issue and make recommendations. Through the 1990s, this committee was able to spearhead several initiatives and the result was a decrease in noise complaints.

One legacy of the 1990s noise abatement program was the designation of 9L/27R as the preferred runway for jets. However, this placed constraints on the airport's ability to handle increased traffic. The result is that the FAA was forced to re-evaluate the program in the context of its needs. When this occurred, the airport was forced to shift the emphasis of its noise abatement program. They turned their attention to changes in the fleet mix and hours of operations. This resulted in a decrease of noise impacts.

The airport's noise abatement strategy has other key facets as well. One is the purchase of property in the area to create buffer zones. FLL has also insulated some area homes against to defend against increased noise impacts. Another component of their program is an aggressive monitoring policy. There are 11 monitoring sites at varying distances from the airport and over the key flight paths. The sites measure violations in excess of 85db. For the second quarter of 2008, there were just 146 violations for arrivals. For departures, however, there were 1533 violations, 1394 of which were recorded at Port Everglades. Departures over Port Everglades represent the category of relative airspace density. Port Everglades is a predominantly industrial area, with a container port and cruise ship port. Overall, however, noise levels at FLL for all airlines are below the federal standards.

The effort to manage noise pollution at FLL is ongoing. The airport authorities have submitted Noise Mitigation Principles to the FAA and are awaiting feedback on a preferred alternative for noise mitigation. The Broward County Board of County Commissioners also has a consultant to implement the noise mitigation program forthcoming.

Recommendations

The growth of FLL has mirrored growth in the region. The population of South Florida is expected to grow a further 25% by 2020. This will increase the strain on FLL. The lands adjacent to the airport are all developed, so there is little room for expansion. The 9R/27L runway, for example, cannot be expanded to accommodate jet traffic because of the course of I-95. Therefore, flights on the 9L/27R runway are expected to increase over the coming years. This will mean more night flights and an increase in noise incidents. The present strategy focusing on fleet mix and hours of operations will see a decrease in flexibility. The first recommendation, however, is to continue to use those methods as best as possible to help mitigate noise.