Better technology

Designing airframes and engines to reduce the noise

The design of airframes and engines has improved a lot since the first jets started flying. And those first jets have all been phased out and replaced by newer, quieter planes.

The chart below shows just how much quieter each new generation of aircraft has been than the one before.

 Click here to view the chart.
Airframe design improvements have focused on reducing the amount of friction and turbulence that occurs as the air passes over an aircraft’s wings and fuselage, which is what causes the noise.

For example, on some of its new 737s, Boeing has introduced ‘advanced-technology winglets’ to the end of the wings, which reduce aerodynamic drag. Boeing reports that this reduces the area affected by noise by 6.5%.

Airbus has developed a new way of reducing engine fan noise, which will be used in the new A380, and has also developed software which can work out the quietest way to take off or land.