The Federal Aviation Administration has implemented a new San Diego International Airport (SAN) departure procedure intended to lessen noise impacts to areas in the flight path, by having planes fly further out over the ocean before turning back south of Point Loma.

The new ZZOOO3 departure procedure was implemented by the FAA based on a recommendation made first by the Airport Noise Advisory Committee (ANAC) subcommittee. Formed in 1981, ANAC is composed of up to18 voting members drawn from various organizations, residential areas, and professional associations. It provides a forum for collaborative discussion of aircraft noise issues and related matters.

“The FAA has implemented a new ZZOOO3 departure procedure that was vetted in the Flight Procedure Study, accepted by ANAC, and submitted to the FAA in 2019,” said Sjohnna Knack, program manager, airport noise mitigation at San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. “The fact that airplanes are flying further out into the ocean before they turn is a win for all people living near the flight paths west of the airport. It’s a great example of just one of the many tangible items ANAC has been able to accomplish. We are still analyzing the data, and will have some pre- and post-ZZOOO3 noise monitoring data to share at the September ANAC meeting.”

For several years, there has been a growing perception by some coastal residents from Point Loma to La Jolla that they were hearing more noise from commercial airplanes. Some long-term residents also insisted they were hearing loud airplane noises in areas where they never heard them before.

That claim was disputed by the FAA, which countered that most of the noise complaints in airport flight path areas were attributable to low-flying general aviation aircraft largely from Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in Kearny Mesa, and from helicopters.

Fred Kosmo, Jr., chair of Peninsula Community Planning Board and an ANAC board member, said the new departure procedure “affects planes taking off and turning south.” He said it is a major step forward.

“We have had a long-term problem with planes turning south cutting the corner and coming back over Point Loma,” Kosmo said. “The new procedure has the planes go one mile further out before turning south. This departure plan is designed to keep the planes out over the ocean and turning east below Point Loma. This is an important victory for the Point Loma community. It will decrease both noise and pollution over Point Loma.”

Pointing out the new ZZOOO3 Departure Procedure is the culmination of a long-term effort “to get this flight path change,” Kosmo added, “It could have never happened without a lot of hard work by local volunteers, but especially Casey Schnoor. Over the last five years, ANAC, and especially the ANAC subcommittee led by people like Casey, have worked on ideas like this to reduce airport noise and pollution. Eventually, the full ANAC board voted to approve the ANAC subcommittee recommendations.”

Subsequently, Kosmo said ANAC has been working with SAN and the FAA to try and get the subcommittee’s recommendations implemented. “Sometimes persistence pays off,” he concluded. “After three years of follow-up, the FAA finally approved the new ZZOOO3 departure route, and it was officially implemented on July 14.”