Editing Airport (section)

== Environmental concerns and sustainability ==
[[File:Solar cells near cargo terminal.jpg|thumb|Solar panels at [[Cochin International Airport]], India, the world's first airport to be fully powered by solar energy.]]
[[File:Pista Congonhas01.jpg|thumb|Runway at [[São Paulo-Congonhas Airport]] in Brazil.]]{{Further|Environmental impact of aviation}}
[[Aircraft noise]] is a major cause of [[Noise pollution|noise disturbance]] to residents living near airports. Sleep can be affected if the airports operate night and early morning flights. Aircraft noise occurs not only from take-offs and landings but also from ground operations including maintenance and testing of aircraft. Noise can have [[Health effects from noise|other health effects]] as well. Other noises and environmental concerns are vehicle traffic causing noise and pollution on roads leading to the airport.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Basner|first1=Mathias|last2=Clark|first2=Charlotte|last3=Hansell|first3=Anna|last4=Hileman|first4=James I.|last5=Janssen|first5=Sabine|last6=Shepherd|first6=Kevin|last7=Sparrow|first7=Victor|date=2017|title=Aviation Noise Impacts: State of the Science|journal=Noise & Health|volume=19|issue=87|pages=41–50|doi=10.4103/nah.NAH_104_16|doi-broken-date=November 1, 2024|issn=1463-1741|pmc=5437751|pmid=29192612|doi-access=free}}</ref>

The construction of new airports or addition of runways to existing airports, is often resisted by local residents because of the effect on countryside, historical sites, and local flora and fauna. Due to the risk of collision between birds and aircraft, large airports undertake population control programs where they frighten or shoot birds.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Drescher |first1=Cynthia |title=How Airports Keep Birds Away |url=https://www.cntraveler.com/story/how-airports-keep-birds-away |website=Condé Nast Traveler |date=November 5, 2018 |access-date=6 January 2023 |archive-date=January 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106053730/https://www.cntraveler.com/story/how-airports-keep-birds-away |url-status=live }}</ref>

The construction of airports has been known to change local weather patterns. For example, because they often flatten out large areas, they can be susceptible to fog in areas where fog rarely forms. In addition, they generally replace trees and grass with pavement, they often change drainage patterns in agricultural areas, leading to more flooding, run-off and erosion in the surrounding land.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://catsr.ite.gmu.edu/SYST460/IntroAirportsWorkbook.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://catsr.ite.gmu.edu/SYST460/IntroAirportsWorkbook.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|title=Introduction to Airports Design and Operations|last=Sherry|first=Lance|year=2009|website=George Mason University Center for Air Transportation Systems Research}}</ref>{{citation needed|date=June 2012}}  Airports are often built on low-lying coastal land, globally 269 airports are at risk of [[coastal flooding]] now.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|date=2021-01-01|title=Global analysis of sea level rise risk to airports|journal=Climate Risk Management|volume=31|pages=100266|doi=10.1016/j.crm.2020.100266|issn=2212-0963|last1=Yesudian|first1=Aaron N.|last2=Dawson|first2=Richard J.|bibcode=2021CliRM..3100266Y |doi-access=free}}</ref> A temperature rise of 2<sup>o</sup>C – consistent with the [[Paris Agreement]] – would lead to 100 airports being below mean sea level and 364 airports at risk of flooding.<ref name=":0" /> If global mean temperature rise exceeds this then as many as 572 airports will be at risk by 2100, leading to major disruptions without appropriate adaptation.<ref name=":0" />

A 2019 report from the Cooperative Research Programs of the US [[Transportation Research Board]] showed all airports have a role to play in advancing greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction initiatives. Small airports have demonstrated leadership by using their less complex organizational structure to implement newer technologies and to serve as a proving ground for their feasibility. Large airports have the economic stability and staff resources necessary to grow in-house expertise and fund comprehensive new programs.<ref>{{Cite book|last=National Academies of Sciences|first=Engineering|url=https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25609/airport-greenhouse-gas-reduction-efforts|title=Airport Greenhouse Gas Reduction Efforts|date=October 23, 2019|doi=10.17226/25609|isbn=978-0-309-48079-6|s2cid=243747827|access-date=February 21, 2020|archive-date=February 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200221174328/https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25609/airport-greenhouse-gas-reduction-efforts|url-status=live}}</ref>

A growing number of airports are installing solar [[photovoltaic]] arrays to offset their electricity use.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Anurag |first1=Anurag |last2=Zhang |first2=Jiemin |last3=Gwamuri |first3=Jephias |last4=Pearce |first4=Joshua M. |date=2017-08-12 |title=General Design Procedures for Airport-Based Solar Photovoltaic Systems |journal=Energies|volume=10 |issue=8 |pages=1194 |doi=10.3390/en10081194 |doi-access=free |issn=1996-1073}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2016/03/7-cool-solar-installations-at-u-s-airports/|title=7 cool solar installations at U.S. airports|website=solarpowerworldonline.com|date=March 24, 2016|access-date=September 16, 2017|archive-date=September 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916225256/https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2016/03/7-cool-solar-installations-at-u-s-airports/|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[National Renewable Energy Lab]] has shown this can be done safely.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy14osti/62349.pdA.|title=Kandt and R. Romero . Implementing Solar Technologies at Airports NREL Report}}</ref> This can also be done on the roofs of the airports and it has been found that the solar panels on these buildings work more effectively when compared to residential panels.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/05/21/are-solar-panelled-airports-the-future|title=Airports could power 100,000 homes if we covered them in solar panels|first=Sabrina Fearon|last=Melville|date=May 21, 2021|website=euronews|access-date=May 23, 2021|archive-date=May 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210523111425/https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/05/21/are-solar-panelled-airports-the-future|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Clarify|Is this because of the flat surface of the buildings, allowing to put them in an optimal tilt and orientation, and/or due to the absence of shade from nearby buildings, trees, ... ?|date=May 2021}}

The world's first airport to be fully powered by solar energy is located at [[Cochin International Airport|Kochi]], India.<ref>{{Cite web|title=world's first solar power airport is in Kerala – qoobon|url=https://www.qoobon.com/solar-price-in-kerala/worlds-first-solar-power-airport-is-in-kerala/|access-date=2022-02-02|website=qoobon.com|date=January 26, 2022|archive-date=January 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220126140027/https://www.qoobon.com/solar-price-in-kerala/worlds-first-solar-power-airport-is-in-kerala/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sukumaran |first1=Sreenath |last2=Sudhakar |first2=K. |date=2017-07-01 |title=Fully solar powered airport: A case study of Cochin International airport |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969699717300297 |journal=Journal of Air Transport Management |volume=62 |pages=176–188 |doi=10.1016/j.jairtraman.2017.04.004 |issn=0969-6997}}</ref>

As a part of their sustainability efforts, more and more airports are starting to explore the consequences of more electric aircraft coming into service. Electric aircraft require much energy; operating 49 small 50-passenger short-range battery electric aircraft would demand at least 16 GWh/year,<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Meindl |first1=Markus |last2=März |first2=Martin |last3=Weber |first3=Kai Johannes |chapter=Ground-based power supply system to operate hybrid-electric aircraft for future regional airports |date=March 2023 |title=2023 IEEE International Conference on Electrical Systems for Aircraft, Railway, Ship Propulsion and Road Vehicles & International Transportation Electrification Conference (ESARS-ITEC) |chapter-url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10114820 |pages=1–6 |doi=10.1109/ESARS-ITEC57127.2023.10114820|isbn=979-8-3503-4689-3 }}</ref> and with short turnaround times between different flights, the charging powers have to be substantial. To tackle these issues, more airports are starting to look into alternative energy production such as solar power and wind power, but also how to use airport areas for biomass production.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=DeVault |first1=Travis L. |last2=Belant |first2=Jerrold L. |last3=Blackwell |first3=Bradley F. |last4=Martin |first4=James A. |last5=Schmidt |first5=Jason A. |last6=Wes Burger |first6=L. |last7=Patterson |first7=James W. |date=2012-03-01 |title=Airports Offer Unrealized Potential for Alternative Energy Production |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-011-9803-4 |journal=Environmental Management|volume=49 |issue=3 |pages=517–522 |doi=10.1007/s00267-011-9803-4 |pmid=22245856 |bibcode=2012EnMan..49..517D |issn=1432-1009}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Ollas |last2=Sigarchian |last3=Alfredsson |last4=Leijon |last5=Santos Döhler |last6=Aalhuizen |last7=Thiringer |last8=Thomas |title=Evaluating the role of solar photovoltaic and battery storage in supporting electric aviation and vehicle infrastructure at Visby Airport |journal=Applied Energy |date=2023 |volume=352 |issue=15 |doi=10.1016/j.apenergy.2023.121946|doi-access=free |bibcode=2023ApEn..35221946O }}</ref> Another solution investigated is to use energy storage to charge during the night and use to charge the aircraft during daytime.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Liang |first1=Yawen |last2=Mouli |first2=Gautham Ram Chandra |last3=Bauer |first3=Pavol |date=2023 |title=Charging Technology for Electric Aircraft: State of the Art, Trends, and Challenges |url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10319783 |journal=IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification |volume=10 |issue=3 |pages=6761–6788 |doi=10.1109/TTE.2023.3333536 |issn=2332-7782}}</ref>