Here you will find information on how Birmingham Airport manages aircraft noise and how you can report any concerns you may have. The airport also has a noise action plan and a sound insulation scheme in place to help reduce the impact of noise on local communities.
Aircraft Noise
Community Impact is a series of documents focusing on individual areas to explain the impact of the Airport's operations in these communities. Choose your location to find out more.
We also advise that reading our document Policies and Procedures for Arriving and Departing Aircraft, which has more details on operational procedures at Birmingham.
Community Complaints
We take community complaints very seriously and find this feedback vital to our appreciation of local concerns and issues. If you would like to find out how we investigate complaints please access our Complaints Policy.
To log your complaint please complete the online form available at the link below. We would also recommend that you read our Privacy Notice in order to understand how your data will be handled which is available .
Noise Complaint Form
The operational requirements of a busy international airport like Birmingham mean that from time to time, residents are likely to notice additional or unusual patterns of activity on or around the airfield. Where possible we will issue a notification regarding our operations.
You can also follow our live X (formerly Twitter) feed @bhx_community.
If aircraft noise is a concern, we recommend that you visit any property you are considering on more than one occasion, including visiting at different times of day and night, during weekdays and at weekends. Be mindful that locations may be affected by arriving and/or departing aircraft and that this will depend on the runway in use (dictated by meteorological conditions). For more information please view our Procedures for Arriving and Departing Aircraft document.
For certain localities close to the Airport, we have produced documents which provide more detail on how they are affected by aircraft operations:
Please note that this is not a comprehensive list of locations that are affected by operations at Birmingham Airport and that other neighbourhoods may also be impacted.
Please also note, this information is produced in good faith and the maps represent typical days, but variations from day to day may occur due to operational requirements. In providing this information the Airport Company accepts no liability for any loss suffered by any person who may rely upon it.
Airport operations are complex and each airport has procedures and policies that are unique to the environment and communities that neighbour that airfield. In acknowledgement of this we have produced a range of publications and relevant data to help in understanding how Birmingham Airport operates. There are links here to a substantial amount of information, so please scroll down to ensure you find what you’re looking for. If this is the first time you have looked at this information, we suggest the ‘Policies and Procedures for arriving and departing aircraft' document is the best place to start.
Documents
Policies and Procedures for Arriving and Departing Aircraft explains the procedures used by aircraft operating at Birmingham, including sample maps showing arrival and departure routes.
Ground Operations covers the different types of ground noise experienced in communities adjacent to the Airport and how we work to reduce and mitigate their impact.
Aviation Deposits and Odours addresses the perception that aircraft dump fuel or other materials into the air.
Birmingham Airport has long recognised that noise is a consequence of our operations. Over the years we have developed a comprehensive noise management programme to minimise disturbance to our local neighbours.
Our overarching objective for managing aircraft noise is:
“To work with our stakeholders, including the local community and industry partners, to adopt the best practicable means to assess, manage and minimise the impact of aircraft noise, both now and in the future.”
One of the key ways we measure our impact is through the use of Noise Contours. You can find the latest noise contours, which have been produced by the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs here.
If you would like to view the latest Noise Contours via Google Earth, please find step-by-step instructions here.
Download the contours as KML files below:
Please note we can share these upon request, as there are some technical issues preventing downloads at present. Email: [email protected]
The Noise Contours are an important part of our Noise Action planning process, which operates in five-yearly cycles. Our most recent Noise Action Plan 2024-2028 sets out a series of actions and targets to assess, manage and where possible improve the noise climate around the Airport.
For more explanation of the reasons why aircraft may be seen in your vicinity, please review the Operational Procedures and Statistics section, which aims to explain the procedures for operations at Birmingham Airport, including details of the policies and procedures relating to aircraft taking off and landing at the Airport.
In addition to our six fixed noise monitors, from time to time we carry out studies of aircraft noise using Portable Noise Monitors. These are highly accurate, calibrated pieces of equipment which link to our noise and track-keeping system to provide detailed information on noise levels in neighbouring communities.
Our Portable Noise Monitor Deployment Policy explains how we monitor noise, how you can request for a portable noise monitor to be deployed in your area and how any data collected will be analysed and reported.
You can also read the reports which accompany our most recent studies using portable noise monitors
For this report, you may find it useful to also take a look at our Focus on Barston document, which looks at our operations and how they specifically impact Barston.
The Sound Insulation Scheme provides sound-reducing glazing to properties in areas most affected by aircraft noise. The scheme boundary is defined by the 2002 63dB(A) summer day noise contour, which is an average measure of noise exposure over a 16 hour period, as shown below.
If you would like to view the Sound Insulation Scheme contour boundary on google earth please view the instructions and download the file here.
The current scheme of works is finished and we have insulated every property that is eligible. However, we keep the scheme under review and should any new works be planned we will contact you. If you are new to your property and would like to know if it lies within the scheme boundary, or if it has previously been insulated under the scheme, please contact: [email protected]. We also recommend that you read our Privacy Notice in order to understand how your personal data will be handled which is available here.
In order to ensure the wider availability of noise data, we have worked to create a Community Noise Report which is available quarterly. Please click on the links below to download.
Community Noise Report - Q1 2023
Community Noise Report - Q2 2023
Community Noise Report - Q3 2023
Community Noise Report - Q4 2023
Community Noise Report - Q1 2024
WebTrak is a web-based flight-tracking platform that enables you to view aircraft operations at Birmingham Airport. This platform provides general information about flights, including their tracks, altitudes, origin/destinations, operating airlines and aircraft types.
WebTrak is highly accurate, using the same radar feed as our Air Traffic Control to make it easy for users to identify and investigate operations in their vicinity. Its interactive interface allows users to pinpoint their location and understand the positioning of aircraft relative to it.
There is also an option to toggle-on our Noise Preferential Route overlay which, combined with comprehensive altitude data, gives users the ability to examine the track-keeping of individual aircraft. Should you want to contact us in reference to a specific aircraft, when hovering over a specific aircraft, Webtrak provides a quick link to our complaints form.
It is recommended that you use WebTrak in conjunction with reading our Operational Procedures guides, in order to understand our wider operations and Noise Preferential Route requirements in further detail. You can find these documents here.
For further details on how we are working to engage, measure and mitigate the impact of aircraft noise, please click here to read our Noise Action Plan.
WebTrak allows users to view data both historically and in near-real time, and can be launched via this link. If you have any questions or feedback whilst using WebTrak, in relation to it's functions and usability, please contact us at: [email protected].