One and a half years into its lifespan, Horizon 2020 project ANIMA completes an assessment into the complex relationship between aviation noise and health, together with a set of recommendations. During a meeting held between 11 and 13 March 2019 hosted by the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ, Slovenia) partners of the project from all over Europe discussed the reviews conducted and the proposed recommendations. The review on noise annoyance impacts carried out by the ANIMA project highlights the importance of addressing reported annoyance and sleep disturbance as critical outcomes, confirming WHO findings. In October 2018, the World Health Organisation published the WHO Environmental Noise Guidelines for the European Region, featuring significant recommendations and deeming noise as a health risk rather than a health nuisance. ANIMA researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University in collaboration with the Centre for Applied Psychology, Social and Environmental Research (ZEUS) in Germany, the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) of Slovenia and the Romanian Research Institute for Gas Turbines (COMOTI), reviewed and updated the studies at the core of these guidelines. As its main outcome, the ANIMA review supports the idea that there may be associations between aircraft noise exposure and ischaemic heart disease, annoyance, […]

At the end of February 2019, ANIMA project held a highly interdisciplinary technical workshop at Catania Airport. The focus was on noise reduction strategies, land use planning best practices and interdependencies between noise and emissions. The local organizer, Societa’ Aeroporto Catania, represented by Prof. Daniela Baglieri and Eng. Daniela Caico, enabled a thorough discussion between local scientists (University Kore of Enna), consultants (Softech Web) and authorities (Catania City Council). The discussion was facilitated by Transport Systems Catapult representative, Dr. Fabio Galatioto, and other ANIMA partners (Dr. Delia Dimitriu – Manchester Metropolitan University; Nico van Oosten and Luis Meliveo -ANOTEC; Ab Hoolhorst and Martijn Blom – Netherlands Aerospace Centre). The main outputs of this technical workshop are: a Memorandum of Understanding between Catania Airport and ANIMA project (through Manchester Metropolitan University) for collaboration and data provision to support aviation noise modelling and interdependencies provision of data for scenario modelling insights for the balanced approach best practices.

In February 2019, Manchester Metropolitan University hosted three days of meetings, focus groups and workshops related to the quality of life research carried out under ANIMA project. Measuring the effectiveness of a communication campaign in lowering annoyance – Focus Group Trials While addressing annoyance with the purpose of improving the quality of life of the communities surrounding airports, the ANIMA partners highlighted the role that communication has in this process. For this purpose, ANIMA researchers convened in Manchester on Monday, 4th February, to facilitate a focus group to help measure the effectiveness of a communication campaign in lowering annoyance. This was a trial focus group to help validate whether the ANIMA researchers were asking the right questions, and doing so in the right way, before more focus groups would take place at case study airport locations, such as London Heathrow Airport, Vienna Airport, etc. The aim of the focus groups is to help understand what sort of information is valuable to airport residents, what issues are important to their quality of life, and how airports should be communicating with them. Pilot study on novel land-use planning approaches – Validation Workshop Some of the ANIMA partners together with external industry stakeholders […]

Developing solutions to alleviate annoyance encountered by communities surrounding airport areas was the main topic of the event organised by the European project ANIMA (Aviation Noise Impact Management through novel Approaches) in Brussels on 18 February 2019. Held on the premises of and organised by the Airport Regions Conference, the organisation representing cities and regions with an airport on their territory, this conference brought together local communities, noise experts, spatial planners, academia, researchers and policy-makers. The audience of some 80 attendees explored the ways in which land use planning can help lower noise in airport areas. The morning session was dedicated to new approaches and tools developed by ANIMA, whereas the afternoon session highlighted actual feedback from airport managers and neighbours. Laurent Leylekian (ONERA, France), ANIMA coordinator, underlined the increasing concerns about aviation noise concluding that it is our common duty to bring solutions and to propose consensual ways of addressing the issue with all the involved parties, including communities, both to preserve the competitiveness of the European aviation sector and the highest living standards of our fellow European citizens. In this regard, land use planning and management is considered as an effective means to ensure that the activities nearby […]