Polish airport representatives visit TPA to talk noise

(May 3, 2018) Across the globe, aircraft noise is a growing issue among homeowners, airports and communities. So when officials representing Poznań–Ławica Airport in Poland visited Tampa International Airport on April 18 to learn more about best practices in handling noise abatement and community outreach, TPA was happy to share its experiences, challenges and successes. 

TPA Airport Operations Manager and Noise Monitoring Officer Adam Bouchard and Executive Vice President John Tiliacos met with two Polish professors, an attorney and an airport strategy and development director to discuss its voluntary noise abatement program in Tampa, which includes community noise consortium meetings, an online noise concern submission form and other outreach efforts to work closely with neighbors of TPA. The meeting was a part of the Polish contingent’s tour of Florida airports, including Miami International and Fort Lauderdale, to study various approaches to handling noise complaints from neighboring communities.

“They were very interested to hear about our community outreach program and what we’ve experienced here in the Tampa Bay area and it was a delight meeting with them,” Bouchard said.

One of the professors, Magdalena Habdas, sent a follow-up letter after the visit, saying, “On behalf of the Polish team, I would like to thank you and Adam for hosting us and sharing your expertise with us. We found the visit very informative and are grateful for being able to learn about your experiences and programs concerning various aspects of airport noise. The information we received from you is food for thought, research and possible application in our national context.”

For more information about TPA’s noise abatement program, visit www.tampaairport.com/noise-abatement. The next Community Noise Consortium Meeting will be held in the HCAA Boardroom on Thursday, May 10, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.