The jets may be flying farther north, but not everyone is hearing the difference.
More than a month after the Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA) implemented revised flight paths for jets departing from Van Nuys Airport, airport officials say noise complaints from hillside neighborhoods including Encino, Sherman Oaks and Studio City have dropped by 66% – from about 160 complaints a day to just over 50.
But some residents say the fix has just shifted the roar to other parts of the Valley.
“What we are experiencing is a sudden increase in the number of departures now, which are cutting deep into the east Sherman Oaks, Studio City region and … up through Toluca Lake all the way around the east side of Burbank Airport,” said Roslyn Dahl, who lives in east Sherman Oaks, near Studio City.
Van Nuys Airport officials said the revised departure routes are still in the early adjustment phase, and that full compliance typically takes 60 to 90 days.
During that adjustment period, air traffic control officials and pilots are still getting used to the changes, so there may be occasional deviations, like planes flying a bit farther than they should, or turning slightly earlier, Van Nuys Airport Manager Jacob Haik said. “ I think overall it’s good compliance, but everybody’s adjusting to the new procedure,” Haik said.
He also noted that some complaints may be linked to aircraft from nearby Burbank Airport.
“About 20% of our complaints that we get for Van Nuys (Airport) are actually Burbank Airport related. And I’m not blaming Burbank. I’m sure they get complaints that maybe are probably ours,” Haik said, adding, “We work together. We try to coordinate the best we can.”
But a local residents’ group said this outcome was anticipated and avoidable.
The revised flight paths have “effectively moved noise to Studio City, an area that is heavily burdened already by ( Burbank Airport) aircraft,” Studio City for Quiet Skies, a community group focused on mitigating jet noise, said in a statement.
Studio City for Quiet Skies said they raised concerns about the changes in 2021 — particularly about a key turning point in the route, known as DSSRT, where planes are directed to change course after takeoff. At the time, the group was assured the new procedure would not push noise into new areas.
“We stood down because we did not want to suppress the effort to reduce aviation noise,” the group said. LAWA, the governing body for LAX and Van Nuys Airports, “Confirmed that they would have the FAA do a study and reverse the action if the new procedure moved (the) noise.”
The current wave of complaints over jet noise from Van Nuys Airport goes back to a federal effort to modernize air traffic in major metropolitan areas.
In 2017, the FAA rolled out Metroplex Area Navigation (RNAV) procedures at Van Nuys Airport. RNAV allows aircraft to follow more precise and direct routes using a combination of satellite navigation, such as GPS, and onboard systems, rather than relying on traditional ground-based navigation beacons.
The goal was to help planes take more efficient, flexible routes in busy city skies, while also reducing fuel. RNAV uses waypoints, or a predetermined geographical location, that help guide aircraft along a specific route.
But when the FAA implemented RNAV departure procedures at Van Nuys Airport, many flight paths shifted closer to hillside neighborhoods like Sherman Oaks and Studio City, triggering a dramatic increase in noise complaints. Monthly noise comments rose from 15-20 to a peak of 500, according to airport officials.
This prompted officials to work with the FAA to revise the flight paths in hopes of easing noise for hillside residents. As a result, the Southern San Fernando Valley Airplane Noise Task Force — made up of elected officials, staff members, and airport and FAA representatives –- was formed to study the issues and recommend resolutions.
After a series of public meetings and technical reviews, the task force urged the FAA to shift departures back to their pre-2017 tracks — routes that took jets farther over the Valley floor, away from hillside neighborhoods. The FAA agreed to study the proposed changes, ultimately approving a revised RNAV departure procedure.
The new routes took effect in February 2025 and are intended to shift jet traffic northward to reduce noise impacts in hillside areas.
Airport officials say they’re continuing to monitor the impact of the revised routes and will alert the FAA if noise complaints begin to shift to new areas.
“If we start seeing a different hotspot or there’s an uptick somewhere else, then we will definitely relay that to the FAA so they can look at any further adjustments,” Haik said.
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