Noise Office

Welcome to the Noise Office for PHL and PNE

Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) and Northeast Philadelphia Airport (PNE) bring important economic and connectivity benefits to the Philadelphia region, yet we recognize that aircraft traveling to and from our airports also create environmental challenges such as noise. The Noise Office, a branch of the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Aviation, is committed to monitoring noise and working with our neighbors, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and aircraft operators to minimize noise impacts.

Efforts to study aircraft noise at PHL date back to 1975. Studies show that noise impacts from aircraft arriving and departing PHL have steadily decreased from 1980 to the present, despite the increase in air traffic to and from Philadelphia. View noise contour comparison, 1980-2018

The Noise Office tracks all aircraft operations at PHL and PNE, monitoring arrival and departure times, flight paths, aircraft types, runways used, and atypical flight operations. The Noise Office responds to noise-related complaints concerning aircraft operations at PHL and PNE; advocates for compatible land uses surrounding the airport; and has provided sound insulation to over 400 homes within the noise impact area surrounding PHL.

The Noise Office established a Fly Quiet program in 2012 to minimize noise due to aircraft operations and maintenance. The Fly Quiet Program educates pilots on noise-sensitive areas and flight routes that can reduce noise for residential communities.

File a Noise Complaint

PHL Flight Tracker

Air Traffic Flows at PHL

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) directs air traffic at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). The traffic flow in use at PHL at any given time is dictated primarily by the wind direction. With very few exceptions, aircraft land, and takeoff into the prevailing wind. A headwind increases the airflow over the wings, producing more lift. The increased lift generated from the headwind reduces the amount of runway required to takeoff. The same headwind reduces the aircraft’s ground speed allowing it to land at a lower speed and use less runway to stop.

The directions at which airplanes arrive and depart PHL are referred to as “East Flow” and “West Flow”. The majority of the time, wind at PHL blows from south-southwest to north-northwest. As such, approximately 70 percent of the flight operations during a given year at PHL take place when the airport is in “West Flow.” 

The graphics below illustrate the typical flight patterns for aircraft arriving/departing PHL. Deviations from these standard flight procedures sometimes occur due to weather, aircraft spacing requirements, and other circumstances.