Centennial Airport Noise Management

Centennial Airport is one of the busiest airports in the country, and while the airport contributes more than $2.1 billion in economic impact to the area, the Arapahoe County Public Airport Authority works diligently to balance the needs of the airport with those of the surrounding community.

When buying a new home, there are many things to be considered. Location is one of very high importance. Prospective home buyers should be informed, consumers. This guideline will help you ask the right questions to make informed choices about your new home: Noise Quest

Before you consider buying or renting a home near the airport, if you feel you may be sensitive to the noise, we encourage you to talk with your potential new neighbors and spend time near the property, during peak takeoff and landing times. If possible, visit the property at night (during the times you would most likely be sleeping) to better evaluate how the noise may affect you.

Keep in mind that many people who live in the area may not be as sensitive to noise as you, so it's important to experience it first-hand. Centennial Airport staff are happy to visit with you and show you detailed maps of flight patterns that can help you make a more informed decision. The same goes for those individuals considering purchasing property for investment. Remember to consider what types of tenants to whom you are looking to rent. 

Centennial Airport has a variety of noise monitoring systems and tools, and can also run statistics on overflights to help guide your decision to reside near the airport.

Activity levels at airports are measured by aircraft operations. An operation is defined by the FAA as a takeoff or a landing. So, a "touch and go" conducted by a training aircraft counts as two operations. In 2022, Centennial Airport accommodated 300.588 aircraft operations.  However, most of the traffic is concentrated during the daytime hours. The record year at Centennial occurred in 1998, with over 466,000 aircraft operations.  

In 2020, Centennial ranked number 2 in the nation among airports that are not certified for airline service and ranked number 10 of all airports (including airports like LAX, Chicago's O'Hare, and New York's La Guardia).  Centennial is also the only airport in the country to have three FBOs ranked in the top 25 of all U.S.-based FBOs. FBOs are airport-based aircraft service centers that provide fueling services, maintenance, concierge services, as well as crew and passenger transportation.  

Centennial Airport is open for business 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and in most weather conditions. Our office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon. through Fri. excluding holidays.
 

The airport has a rush hour just like highways. The heaviest traffic volumes can occur in the mornings or afternoons, depending on the time of year. 

For safety and performance factors, aircraft must arrive and depart into the wind. Centennial Airport’s primary runways are angled with the predominant wind directions of north and south. During typical fair-weather days for the area around Centennial Airport, the wind direction is predominately from the south. This puts the airport in a “South Flow” configuration with aircraft arriving from the north and departing towards the south. During inclement weather days (low clouds, high winds, precipitation, etc.), the wind direction is predominantly from the north and the airport operates in a “North Flow” configuration with aircraft arriving and departing towards the north. Approximately 55 percent of the traffic at Centennial Airport arrives and departs the airport towards the south. 

The areas immediately north and south of the airport experience very high volumes of aircraft traffic. Roughly, 85 percent of Centennial's traffic uses the north/south runways. A number of smaller aircraft use the east/west crosswind runway as a means to keep separation from the larger jet traffic. Areas directly east of the airport are impacted by these operations. 

The Airport Authority is charged with addressing noise complaints. You can reach our noise complaint hotline at (303) 790-4709. When using the hotline, please keep the following guidelines in mind:
• Provide all information requested on the recording - incomplete complaints will not be considered.

• Complaints need to contain specific times - general statements like "20 airplanes between 5 and 8" will not be accepted.

• Complaints containing profanity will not be considered valid complaints.

• Complaints containing threats to aircraft will be reported to the FBI and local authorities.

• If you would like a return call, be sure to leave your name and telephone number on the recording, and the Noise & Environmental Specialist will return your call as soon as possible. Noise complaints can also be filed via Web Trak. 

We currently have a number of voluntary noise abatement procedures in effect. They are:  

• Voluntary Noise Abatement Procedures

• Visual Flight Rules (VFR) Procedures

• Maintain minimum altitude of 7300' east of Parker Rd. and west of Yosemite St., unless directed otherwise by air traffic control.

• Training traffic within the Runway 17L/35R traffic pattern should remain south of Arapahoe Road, and east of I-25, when able unless directed otherwise by air traffic control.

• In addition to the above procedures, we encourage all tenants and users to follow the National Business Aircraft Association's Fly Quiet procedures. 

Centennial Airport is open 24 hours a day. We do have aircraft activity at night, mostly flights carrying light cargo or checks for the Federal Reserve. These overnight flights are a critical piece of the economy. In addition, interstate commerce laws require that the airport remain open 24/7. A large portion of our overnight flights will consist of air-ambulance flights transporting patients, blood, or organs to points throughout the state and country. The largest air-ambulance companies in Denver provide air-ambulance service to the entire region through Centennial Airport. Law enforcement and news media also use the airport regularly at night.  

Federal Aviation Regulations specify a minimum altitude of 1,000 feet over congested areas and 500 feet over non-congested areas. The exception to this rule is helicopters and aircraft that are in the process of taking off or landing.  

In an odd "Catch-22," the Airport Authority is responsible for addressing aircraft noise but has absolutely no control how and where the aircraft fly. Once the wheels of the aircraft leave the pavement, the aircraft is under the control of the Federal Aviation Administration Air Traffic Control. Safety is the #1 concern and keeping maximum separation between aircraft takes precedence over noise-related concerns. However, Centennial Airport works continuously with the FAA, collaborating to develop aircraft routes and procedures that help reduce aircraft noise exposure within the surrounding areas.  

Airport noise is any noise created by an aircraft taking off, landing, overflying, and taxiing on the ground. 

Modern aircraft have become much quieter over the last two decades. The largest business jet operating at Centennial is remarkably quieter than one of the smallest. Aircraft are categorized by the amount of noise they make. The loudest are called Stage I and State II, which have been banned in the United States as of Dec. 31, 2015. Stage III and Stage IV aircraft are the quietest.  Aircraft at Centennial, now, meet Stage III requirements and some, even meet Stage IV standards. 

You can reach our office at 303-790-0598 and ask to speak with the Noise Specialist. We are happy to discuss your concerns about aircraft noise, provide operation statistics, make available to the community and aircraft noise data, and offer various graphics depicting aircraft flight tracks to help you make an informed decision.

Centennial Airport is a public-use airport and due to Grant Assurances required by accepting federal funding, the airport is required to allow government-owned aircraft to operate at the airport and military aircraft are not held to noise standards. Throughout the year and especially in the summer months, Centennial Airport will periodically see a variety of military aircraft operations, typically on training missions. Centennial Airport supports the military and the training requirements needed to protect the nation.

Centennial Airport's Fly Quiet Program was created through a partnership with the Centennial Airport Community Noise Roundtable. This voluntary noise abatement program is designed to help minimize the impact of airport and aircraft noise through the use of pilot education and awareness. The Fly Quiet Program provides comprehensive guidance for pilots to use specified quiet flight and operating procedures developed by the local airport authorities, the airlines, and Air Traffic Controllers. Fly Quiet information inserts are distributed to pilots, flight schools, and air traffic controllers, and contain information on preferred runways and flight tracks which route aircraft over the least populated areas — such as highways, as well as commercial and industrial areas.  It's important to remember the Fly Quiet program is VOLUNTARY, and in all cases, safety and ATC Instructions will take precedence.

• Traffic pattern altitude is 6,885 ft. MSL (1,000 ft. AGL)
• Take off and climb at the best angle (Vx) to 500 ft. AGL, then assume the best rate (Vy)
• On departure, reduce prop RPM as soon as possible. On arrival, maintain consistent prop RPM until on short final for landing
• Please attempt to remain South of Arapahoe Rd. on arrival and departures if possible
• Avoid Intersection take-offs
• If possible, aircraft should avoid noise-sensitive areas that are depicted in green on the Noise Sensitive Areas map (download below)
• The terrain rises significantly to the south, southwest, and west of Centennial Airport. Adjust altitude accordingly
• NOTE: Stage 1 airplanes have been prohibited from operating in the United States since 1985, and Stage 2 aircraft have not been permitted in U.S. airspace since the end of 2015.

NBAA Noise Abatement Guidelines - http://www.nbaa.org/ops/environment/quiet-flying/ 

Samantha Blymyer
Planning Specialist - Noise & Environmental 
Phone: 303-218-2922

Lauren Wiarda
Director of Planning & Development
Phone: 303-218-2928

Denver International Airport (DEN)
Office of Noise Management
DEN Noise Hotline: (303) 342-2380
Symphony PublicVue Online Tracking and Complaint System 

Rocky Mountain Metro Airport (KBJC)

Airport Operations Specialist

Phone: (303) 271-4874

RMMA Voluntary Noise Abatement 

Buckley Air Force Base (KBKF)

Noise complaints should be submitted to the 140th Wing Public Affairs Office

https://www.140wg.ang.af.mil/Contact-Us/

Maj. Kinder Black: kinder.l.blacke.mil@mail.mil

Noise Email: usaf.co.140-wg.mbx.Noise-Comment@mail.mil

Army helicopter complaints: 720-250-1398

Air Force jet or cargo planes: 720-847-6164 

U.S. Air Force Academy (KAFA)

Community Relations Office: PA.COMREL2@usafa.edu.

Noise Complaint Form