Orlando Sanford International Airport is considered one of the fastest-growing airports in the country.
But Sanford city leaders are now asking the airport to address noise complaints the city continues to get from people who live near the airport.
- Officials ask Orlando Sanford Airport to address noise complaints
- City has received recurring complaints from nearby residents
- Airport authority says they take the complaints seriously
- READ IT: Sanford letter to OSIA
Sally Moore said she’s lived near the airport all of her life and doesn’t mind the usual noise from aircraft flying overhead. She remembers military aircraft making lots of noise back when the airport used to be a Navy Air Station decades ago.
“They had B1 bombers that would rattle your window, and they had Blue Angels that showed up, and none of this happened at 4 a.m.,” said Moore.
Moore has videos she and her neighbor took from all hours of the night when she said the airports busiest carrier, Allegiant, was testing planes.
“Sometimes it’s three to five times from 4 a.m. to 5 a.m. to 6a.m.,” said Moore. “It’s a huge roar.”
Sanford city leaders said they’ve received recurring complaints from people who live near the airport.
They recently sent a letter to the Sanford Airport Authority asking it to seek funding and prioritize the building of what’s known as a “hush house,” which would minimize the noise from aircraft testing.
The airport authority’s president and CEO Diane Crews said the airport takes noise complaints seriously and is seeking grant funding for the facility.
Crews said SAA has been looking into building the structure for several months and presented it to the city commission as a possible remedy to the noise complaints. Crews also says Allegiant will be phasing out MD80s, which require more of the noisy maintenance, by the end of 2018.
Moore believes the airline and the airport should do more to respect their neighbors.
“My suggestion would be have a few less flights, make just a little less money and be a good neighbor to all of us here,” said Moore. “It’s progress with a problem, and I would like for them to fix the problem.”
Crews says the Ground Run-up Enclosure, or “hush house," could cost more than $8 million to build.
Until it can be built, Sanford City leaders say they want SAA to closely monitor all airplane maintenance and only allow overnight engine testing when absolutely necessary.
“This is about my community losing sleep, and it’s not just a few people – it’s hundreds of people,” said Moore.
Allegiant Air released a statement in response to Spectrum News 13’s questions on the matter:
“Our maintenance team does occasionally facilitate engine runs overnight when necessary on our aircraft based at SFB. Because of our schedule, our aircraft are typically out flying from 7 a.m. to around 11 p.m., so all extended maintenance is done overnight.
The runs are always done in conjunction with the air traffic control tower and in accordance with all agreed upon terms of our leasing space at the airport.
We apologize if these cause any inconvenience, however maintaining the safety of our aircraft is of paramount importance. As we continue our fleet transition from MD-80 aircraft to an all-Airbus fleet, noise levels should reduce.”