For the past 20 years, the city’s Airport Noise Compatibility Ordinance has successfully kept the Federal Aviation Administration from imposing its will on Long Beach.

 

It’s been a delicate balancing act for city and elected officials as they have had to fend off those who have pushed to fully maximize the economic potential of the facility, versus those who would prefer the 1,100 or so acres encompassing the airport be converted to uses other than aircraft operations.

 

It’s a compromise arrived at in court after decades of debates that often pitted residents living under or near runways against the interests of airlines, the business community and even the FAA.

 

The FAA oversees airports and aviation travel to ensure access for the traveling public. In short, the agency dictates just about everything having to do with aviation and airports – with a few exceptions.

 

Long Beach is one of those exceptions.

 

Under the airport noise ordinance approved in 1995 and signed off on by the FAA, Long Beach maintains local control of its facility as long as the city is reasonable in its approach to flight activity and its role in the national transportation system. If the city is deemed unreasonable, it loses local control and the FAA steps in.

 

Part of being reasonable includes adhering to the stipulations of the noise ordinance, which include conducting an annual noise analysis.

 

The number of flight operations permitted at the Long Beach Airport are determined by the total, or cumulative, noise created by those flights, which include air carrier, commuter, industrial, charter and general aviation (flights by military aircraft are not included). If the noise budget levels are exceeded, the number of flights must be reduced. If the total noise is below budget levels set in the ordinance, additional flights must be made available.

 

At tonight’s (December 8) city council meeting, councilmembers will discuss the latest annual report, conducted from October 1, 2014 through September 15, 2015. The noise analysis audit – conducted by an outside, independent firm and confirmed by a second company – indicated noise levels have been reduced to the point where the city must provide nine additional slots to air carriers, increasing the current air carrier slots from 41 to 50.

 

If the city council wishes to maintain local control, it will approve the staff recommendation and begin the slot allocation process.

 

Adding nine slots will most likely attract interest from another air carrier to provide service from Long Beach Airport.

 

Currently, JetBlue (serving 11 cities), American (only to Phoenix) and Delta (only to Salt Lake City) offer service. Potential markets include Chicago, Denver, Dallas, Atlanta and Miami. Additionally, the city council is studying the possibility of providing U.S. Customs service, opening the door for international flights. If that occurs, those flights must be part of the 50 slots.