O'HARE — The number of "extremely noisy" planes American Airlines flying out of O'Hare Airport has dropped 65 percent during the last three years, giving Northwest Side residents a break from the loudest racket, airline officials said.
In addition, no McDonnell Douglas MD-80 aircraft will operate at O'Hare between 10 p.m.-7 a.m., said American Airlines Chicago Vice President Franco Tedeschi.
The planes, which are about 30 years old, are much louder than newer planes, such as 737s, officials said.
In September 2013, MD-80 planes flew out of O'Hare 63 times every day. That dropped to 42 flights per day in July — and 22 flights per day by Friday, Tedeschi said at a meeting of the O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission.
American Airlines has been working to replace its fleet of MD-80s for years, and will have only 52 remaining in its fleet by the end of 2016, Tedeschi said.
The airline had announced in 2011 that, beginning in 2013, it would acquire 460 new aircraft to replace older models in an effort to reduce operating costs. The 737s are estimated to be 5 percent more fuel-efficient than earlier models.
Elected officials — spurred by members of the Fair Allocation in Runways Coalition — have been pressuring American Airlines, which has its second biggest hub at O'Hare, to replace their fleet with newer models to reduce the racket caused by planes for years.
O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission Chairwoman Arlene Juracek said Friday plane replacement efforts are among the most efficient ways to reduce the noise they say keeps them up at night and makes it impossible to enjoy their yards.
Most planes now take off toward the west, while arrivals approach from the east, sending hundreds more flights over Northwest Side homes that had little or no jet noise in previous years.
From January through July, Chicagoans logged approximately 927,000 complaints about jet noise, a 14 percent increase from the same period a year ago, according to data released by the noise commission.
Most planes now take off toward the west, while arrivals approach from the east, sending hundreds more flights over Northwest Side homes that had little or no jet noise in previous years.
Federal aviation officials said the flight patterns at O'Hare are designed to ensure the airport operates as efficiently and safely as possible.
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