You're Not Imagining It: More Planes Are Flying Over North Shore

SALEM, MA — Last week, Mimi Hughes posted a desperate plea on Salem Patch's Neighbor Posts. Hughes has lived in the Gallows Hill neighborhood of Salem since 1996, but is now considering moving, thanks to increase airplane noise over her home. "What is up with the planes flying overhead every night? Who controls this? What can I do to change it? This isn't S(outh) Boston," Hughes wrote.

Turns out, Hughes isn't imagining things. Changes in Federal Aviation Administration flight patterns that were aimed at improving fuel efficiency for airlines mean towns and cities that once had little airline traffic overhead now have a lot of it. The changes are part of NextGen, a multi-stage overhaul of the FAA to modernize the agency and the air travel it regulates. NextGen was launched in 2007 and the FAA says its on schedule to meet its goal of implementing all of its components by 2025.

Changes in the Logan flight paths under NextGen started in 2013, but there has been an increase in complaints through the first half of this year. Part of the program involves using technology to continuously update flight paths to make them more efficient. In addition to Salem, residents in Medford and Duxbury have complained about increased airplane noise.

Through the end of May, the last month for which data was available, Massport had registered four complaints about Logan Airport noise from Salem residents. That's similar to the number of complaints Massport got from Salem residents in the first five months of 2018.

But the number of complaints typically spikes in the months of June, July and August when people keep their windows open and spend more time outdoors. In all of 2018, Massport received 25 noise complaints from Salem residents.

Complaints can be filed using an online form on Massport's Website.

Last month, the City of Los Angeles filed a lawsuit against the FAA after May changes to flight plans at Los Angeles International Airport under NextGen increased noise in several neighborhoods. The city is seeking a ruling that would force the FAA to revert to the old flight plans.

In Massachusetts, the FAA has been working with Massachusetts Institute of Technology engineers since 2016 to develop test projects to reduce noise at Logan and in surrounding communities. And in a statement on its Website, the FAA says it remains committed to working with Massport to find "possible reductions to overflight noise impacts of aircraft operations at Boston Logan International Airport that result from the agency’s implementation of performance-based navigation procedures.

Dave Copeland covers Salem for Patch. He can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).