Flight Plan Route Optimization for Airport Aviation Noise Mitigation

Current studies on flight plan route optimization mainly address local noise reduction, lacking a systematic consideration of noise level reduction and tolerance differences among spatially distributed sensitive points around airports. To address this gap, this paper develops a flight plan route optimization model for airport noise mitigation. The model integrates noise impact, operational efficiency, and extent of route modifications into a unified optimization framework. By adjusting the flight paths of all daily operations, it relocates noise loads from overexposed sensitive points to areas that remain compliant. Applied to Nanjing Lukou International Airport in China, the optimization results show that the overall noise levels at 30 sensitive points were reduced by as much as 16.8, the total flight time was decreased by up to approximately 86 minutes, and the minimum adjustment of flight routes reached 13%. These results demonstrate that the proposed model not only effectively abates environmental noise but also preserves operational efficiency and stability, offering a dynamically balanced technical pathway for airport noise management and operational planning.