"Torture by noise after the midnight": Domodedovo residents opposed new trajectories

The noise level from the liners is such that it is impossible to hear each other while in the same room.

Yulia Suntsova

Several flights over the city of Domodedovo below the maximum permissible altitude of 1 km were actually recorded by Flighradar24. Several times since December 2020, the service has recorded airborne visits to the territory of the settlement at altitudes from 2400 to 3100 feet (that is, less than 850 meters from the surface). Service estimates, however, are always approximate.

But since July, the number of low takeoffs and approaches has increased significantly. "Sound torture" does not stop even at night, residents say:

"The roar is monstrous, it became impossible to sleep and live in general. Violation of sanitary standards, safety requirements is evident. At the same time, it is obvious that this is not an initiative of the pilots, but connivance or illegal instructions from the dispatch services. Our right to safety is being violated. Of course, this cannot but leave a mark on the health and the nervous system".

Residents add to the list based on data from Flightrdar24:

1) 07.24.21 U645 Ural Airlines, overflying the city at 23.43. Span height - 837 meters,

2) 25.07.21 flight U68703, Ural Airlines, overflying Domodedovo at an altitude of 968 meters at 01.58 hours. nights,

3) 07.25.21 flight U6575, flight height over the city - 799 meters at 02.18 am,

4) 07.25.21 02:41 am, flight 5N259, Smartavia, 857 m above the city,

5) 07.25.21, 02.49 nights flight 5N231, Smartavia, altitude 963 m,

6) 07.25.21, 11.18 flight YK884, flight 842 m,

7) 07.25.21, 11.57 hours, flight YC 9301, height 974 m,

8) 07/25/21, 12.17 pm, flight S73775, height 977 m,

9) 07.25.21, 12.25 hours, flight SC2802, altitude 924 m,

10) 07.25.21, 12.31 h., Flight S73503, altitude 820 m.,

11) 25.07.21, 14.04 h., Flight U63555, height 947 m.,

12) 07/25/21, 2:15 pm, flight YC9303, altitude 820 m.,

13) 07/25/21, 3:41 p.m., flight YC9337, height 834 m.,

14) 25.07.21, 16.11 h., Flight U63575, height 911 m.,

15) 07/25/21, 4:44 pm, flight U6443, height 932 m.,

16) 25.07.21, 18.33 h., Flight U6377, height 882 m.,

17) 25.07.21, 18.36 hours, flight U62841, height 819 m.,

18) 07/25/21, 20.58 hours, flight LY614, height 986 m,

19) 07/25/21, 11:41 pm, flight U68317, height 911 m.,

20) 07/26/21, 06:00 am, flight EK132, height 937 m.,

21) 07.26.21, 00.23 h., Flight U68265, height 849 m.,

And this is not a complete list, the interlocutors explain.

At least 50 signatories from Domodedovo also appeal for alleged violations of safety rules when organizing air travel, which, in their opinion, could lead to a huge number of human casualties.

“Do you realize that you are creating the threat of a repeat of car accidents like the fall of the Airbus A-310 on residential areas of Irkutsk in July 2006? In the conditions of dense multi-storey buildings at Domodedovo, a plane crash could lead to a thousand casualties!", - Domodedovo residents are addressing the authorities.

The Federal State Unitary Enterprise "State Corporation for Air Traffic Management in the Russian Federation" of the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia) confirmed the revision of standard routes over the city of Domodedovo, referring to the order of the Government Commission on Transport:

"Based on the decision of the Government Commission on Transport, in order to improve flight safety, throughput, and ensure effective use of airspace, a new airspace structure has been introduced since December 3, 2020, within which the standard departure, arrival and approach routes have been changed".

The aviation authorities also explain their decision by the long-overdue need to revise the Unified Air Traffic Management System of the Russian Federation. On July 23, 2020, the system was changed in accordance with the order of the Ministry of Transport No. 248 "On establishing the boundaries of zones (areas) of the Unified Air Traffic Management System of the Russian Federation, boundaries of areas (aerodromes), boundaries of A and C airspace".

The changes affect all airports, primarily in megacities and large cities of the country.

“The Moscow area of the Unified Air Traffic Management System (ATM) is the most complex and saturated in terms of the number of aerodromes, types of flights, their intensity and complexity of airspace organization. The earlier existing airspace structure of the Moscow EU ATM zone did not provide the necessary flexibility and efficiency in the use of the airspace. The situation was complicated by the large number of route crossings, the presence of oncoming traffic, as well as the number of flight restriction and exclusion zones. Meanwhile, the routes most of the flights operating on the Russian Federation territory, pass it through the airspace of Moscow Joint ATM area, and most take-offs and landings performed on the ground of our country, is carried out on the ground of the Moscow TMA ", - explained at the Moscow Center of automated air traffic control.

“The scheme of departure from Domodedovo with a U-turn over the settlement of Domodedovo, according to the collection of schemes for the airport, has changed since at least December 3, 2020. According to it, relative to the first point, which is located east of the Domodedovo settlement, there are no requirements to occupy the minimum height, but at the second point, which is west of the Domodedovo settlement, the aircraft must gain at least 4000 feet 1060 meters). In addition, the requirement is spelled out that immediately after take-off, the gradient of the set must be at least 6.2%. This means, for example, that if an airplane is flying at a ground speed of 240 knots per hour (about 450 km / h), then it must gain at least 1500 feet per minute. If an aircraft, for any reason, cannot fulfill this requirement, then it must be provided with a different departure route ", - aviation expert, aviation observer Andrey Menshenin explains to Novye Izvestia.

The Federal State Unitary Enterprise "State Corporation for Air Traffic Management in the Russian Federation" subordinate to the Federal Air Transport Agency in its response to the residents of Domodedovo, however, denies any violations:

“At the Domodedovo airport, noise reduction measures have been implemented and are being carried out by airlines based at the airport. The flight of aircraft over the specified area is performed at altitudes not lower than 1000 meters in strict accordance with the requirements of Art. 72 of the Air Code of the Russian Federation. The air traffic services of FSUA "State ATM Corporation" exercise constant control over the use of airspace, as well as maintaining the heights of the aircraft crews established by the standard routes of arrival and departure", - writes in response to residents of the acting. Deputy Director of the Branch for the Management of Personnel A.S. Categories.

The change in flight procedures in December 2020 could be made at the request of the government in the interests of the airline industry affected by the pandemic. Airlines, for example, are saving up to 14% on fuel by cutting corners over residential areas, residents believe.

The saving factor is really not hidden in the branch of the Moscow Center for Automated Air Traffic Control - in December 2020, they reported on the reduction in fuel consumption as a personal achievement:

"The branch" MC ATM "of FSUE" State ATM Corporation "has successfully carried out the transition to a new airspace structure of the Moscow and adjacent zones of the Unified Air Traffic Management System of the Russian Federation (EU ATM) This is a new starting point in the history of the aviation industry of our country ... Flexible use of airspace, reduction of flight delays, reduction of intensive workload on air traffic controllers and pilots will increase the air traffic capacity in the Moscow area of the EU ATM by one and a half times”, - said Sergey Pogrebnov, director of the MC ATM branch of FSUE State ATM Corporation.

<…> With an increase in air traffic intensity by 1.5 times, the flight time in the Moscow air zone will decrease by an average of 15%, the length of routes by 21%, and fuel consumption by an average of 14%", - the website says.

The organization's message also says that the transition to a new airspace structure was personally controlled by First Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation - Head of the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) Alexander Neradko, Deputy Head of Rosaviation Dmitry Yadrov, General Director of FSUE State ATM Corporation Igor Moiseyenko.

But what is good for airlines, then residents - anxiety and insomnia.

How to find a balance between the interests of representatives of the aviation industry and residents of areas adjacent to airports?

The experts' answer is not comforting for the latter.

“It is impossible even to assume that the approved New Airspace Structure does not meet safety requirements. First, before being approved, it goes through a thousand of all kinds of meticulous approvals in various government departments. Secondly, the pilots who also put their visa, believe me, are least of all interested in the absence of guarantees for the safety of their lives. Therefore, talking about safety violations during flights over the city of Domodedovo is at least illiterate, - Fedor Borisov, Chief Expert at the Institute of Transport Economics and Transport Policy at the Higher School of Economics, comments to Novy Izvestia. - Indeed, today we are witnessing a completely ordinary and typical for all megacities conflict of the parties, whose interests, unfortunately, cannot be balanced.

On one side of the scale are passengers who want to fly cheaper and environmentalists who are fighting to reduce emissions from air transport into the atmosphere. On the other side - residents of residential areas near airports. I'm afraid the latter are not in the majority".

The metropolis is developing. The frequency of flights over Moscow is increasing. The old air traffic management system of the Russian Federation has reached a ceiling, is outdated - it is no longer possible to cram into it the number of aircraft that are in the airspace today, the number of passengers who wish to use these aircraft. If Russia wants to meet international standards in the aviation industry, and it does, optimization of the route network is inevitable.

The main task that the authorities set themselves when developing the new scheme was to increase the throughput of the Moscow hub, and preferably not by lengthening take-off, descent and landing routes. The schemes that were first proposed involved long waiting times for takeoff and landing, but airlines were able to insist on reducing the intervals. The new scheme is not ideal, there were many complaints from the pilots, including the airlines demanding an even greater reduction in the time spent in the air. But somehow, with difficulty, they came to a common opinion.

At all times and in all megacities of the world, during these processes, we will listen to approximately the same manifestos. Millions will write to the government that they want to fly cheaper. Millions will require less fuel and cut emissions. And 500 people will write that the noise from the planes interferes with their sleep. And everyone will be right in their arguments, the expert explains.

- The development of a new scheme for organizing airspace is not at all about the fact that earlier our planes took off and landed over forests and fields, and now they will be over villages. There are no places in the Moscow region where there would be no settlements. At one time, residents of Lobnya fought for their rights in the same way. The struggle of citizens in these conflicts is not about making sure that no one flies over their heads (no one demands to close Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, Pulkovo), it is always a dispute about flying not over my head, but over whose something else, explains Fyodor Borisov.

Of course, no one says that you shouldn't pay attention to the rights of residents of residential areas.

“Perhaps the residents of Domodedovo have begun to feel more inconveniences due to the denser air traffic during the high summer season. They are probably already weaned from such noise due to the decrease in air travel during the coronavirus. According to the Federal Air Transport Agency, the volume of passenger traffic at Domodedovo airport in the period from January to July 2021 increased by 167 percent compared to the same period in 2020.

In addition, the rules for reducing the noise level during takeoff and landing at Domodedovo airport say that the noise level should not exceed 85dB from 7 am to 11 pm and 75 dB from 23 to 7.

"If residents believe that noise pollution standards are violated, perhaps they should take noise measurements by organizing a study on the day when the planes fly directly over the village of Domodedovo", - advises Andrey Menshenin.