FAQ - Why Are Some Airplanes Louder Or Quieter Than The Others

Question: Why are some airplanes louder or quieter than others?

Answer: In general, size of the airplane dictates the amount of power or thrust that is required by the engines to propel it. The amount of noise generated in turn is approximately proportional to the total engine thrust. Therefore, larger airplanes that carry more passengers and requiring more powerful engines are noisier. On the others hand, the use of technology to reduce the various noise sources can and have been effective in making airplanes quieter. The current generation airplanes are significantly quieter than the earlier generation airplanes. For example, for approximately the same size, today?s Boeing 737 is about twenty (20) decibels quieter the earlier generation Boeing 727. In terms of reduction in acoustic energy, it is equivalent to a 99% in reduction. However, for most airports, more frequency operations and the more use of large size airplanes tend to offset the benefits of advanced technology. This results in the general observations that total noise exposures around airports have not been dramatically reduced in more recent years.


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