EU Ban of 727 Jetliners Rankles Carriers, Congress

A vote by the European Union to reduce aircraft noise by banning the use of some Boeing 727 aircraft has international air freight carriers and the U.S. Congress up in arms.

The Feb. 10 vote would bar companies from using 727-200s, passenger jets that have been converted for freight, even if the planes have been modified to meet noise regulations. If approved by the union’s Transport Council on March 29, the ban would take effect April 1.

“We oppose unilateral certification efforts such as this,” said FedEx spokesman Jess Bunn.

Freight carriers are concerned that local governments and airports might use the vote to ban 727-200 aircraft altogether, even those that have been modified to reduce noise.

“The danger is that this would be taken up by local governments and airports, and transformed into a non-operation rule,” said Annette Meijer, regulatory affairs manager for DHL in Brussels, Belgium. “There is a risk that this could happen.”

DHL and other carriers had hoped the bill would include language preventing an outright ban but were unsuccessful in their lobbying efforts.

Aircraft noise is as much an issue in Europe as it is in the United States, said EU spokesman Willy Helin.

“The issue is of crucial importance to European citizens who are increasingly protesting the noise levels around airports, often located close to densely populated urban areas,” he said.

The issue has been brewing for some time. Assistant U.S. Transportation Secretary Charles Hunnicutt, warned last fall that the proposed legislation “could easily lead to a patchwork of national and regional standards with little additional environmental benefit.”

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