Night-time aircraft noise may disturb sleep at lower levels than previously reflected in UK aviation policy, according to government-commissioned research involving residents living around eight airports.
The Aviation Night Noise Effects study, commissioned by the Department for Transport, examined how exposure to aircraft noise during the night affects sleep disturbance and annoyance.
The first phase involved a large-scale survey of 4,183 people living near eight UK airports.
Researchers found that around 10% of respondents were highly sleep-disturbed at an average night-time aircraft noise level of 44 decibels.
At approximately 49 decibels, the proportion reporting high sleep disturbance increased to around 20%.
The researchers said 44 decibels could potentially be considered a Lowest Observed Adverse Effect Level for sleep disturbance.
That is significant because it sits slightly below the 45-decibel level currently used by the Government as the lowest observed adverse-effect level for night-time aviation noise.
The study also found that the time aircraft operate may matter as well as the overall average amount of noise experienced throughout the night.
Sleep disturbance during the period between approximately 1am and 6am was observed at lower noise levels than might be suggested by looking only at the average across the full eight-hour night period.
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Fresh reporting has also revealed separate Department for Transport-commissioned research examining how aircraft noise should be valued when assessing its impact on people’s wellbeing.
The analysis, obtained through a Freedom of Information request by the New Economics Foundation, estimated that an additional decibel of night-time aircraft noise at an existing level of 49 decibels carried a wellbeing valuation of approximately £2,800 per affected household per year where subsidised noise insulation was not available.
At an existing noise level of 56 decibels, the estimated value increased to approximately £4,000 per household per year.
Those figures should not be interpreted as compensation that households are automatically entitled to receive.
They are economic valuations intended to help policymakers place a value on the effects of aircraft noise when comparing the costs and benefits of aviation projects and airport expansion.
The findings are particularly relevant as Britain continues to debate airport growth, airspace modernisation and the operation of night flights.
Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted are designated airports where the Government directly sets night-time operating restrictions intended to manage aircraft noise.
The Department for Transport acknowledges that exposure to aviation noise at night can affect physical and mental wellbeing and can increase the risk of daytime sleepiness, hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
The newly highlighted research does not mean that every person exposed to 44 decibels of aircraft noise will experience disturbed sleep.
Instead, the findings demonstrate how the proportion of people reporting significant disturbance changes as aircraft-noise exposure increases.
The Aviation Night Noise Effects project has two parts. The published subjective study examines people’s reported experience of sleep disturbance and annoyance, while a separate objective study is intended to examine physiological sleep effects using measurements rather than relying solely on people’s recollections.
The Department for Transport has said the second part of the research is expected to be published later in 2026.
Together, the findings could become important evidence when future decisions are made about night flights, airport expansion and how aviation noise is assessed around communities living beneath flight paths.
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Sources
Department for Transport – Aviation Night Noise Effects Study
Aerospace Global News – Aircraft Noise After Dark Hits Airport Neighbours Hardest, DfT Study Finds
