Noise regulations have been implemented to reduce the noise pollution near airports. AirwaySim also features these regulations and they are modelled on their respective real life counterparts.
About Noise Regulation
The noise regulation level determines the minimum allowed aircraft noise certification level allowed to operate in that area. In AirwaySim the noise regulations are always countrywide, there are no separate airport-specific limitations. If a country imposes a noise limit, it will be valid for all airports in that country and regulates all traffic to/from any airport in that country. Note that due to system restrictions technical stopovers are not limited by the noise regulations.
The noise restriction levels can be easily determined from the airport information pages, and any changes to the regulations are posted to the Dashboard news.
Aircraft Noise Levels
Each aircraft engine has a specified noise level. This information is visible on all aircraft details pages, for example when ordering new or used aircraft. There are four basic noise certification levels ("chapters") ranging from 1 to 4. Level 1 means a non-noise certified aircraft which are usually the very oldest first generation jets. Chapter 2 aircraft were introduced from the late 1960s while Chapter 3 and 4 planes are the more modern ones.
AirwaySim does not differentiate propeller and jet driven aircraft's noise certification levels - all plane types are divided into the four standard categories. For game play purposes, the supersonic jets (Concorde and Tupolev Tu-144) are always exempt from any limitations.
Please remember to take extra care of noise levels when ordering aircraft. You are not able to fly an aircraft that does not fulfil the noise restrictions at airports. The system does warn you if you are about to acquire an aircraft that might not meet the noise restrictions but please remember still that operating very old aircraft may cause issues too.
Some aircraft models/engines can be upgraded to a better noise certification level using Hushkit upgrades. These upgrades will change the noise certification to a higher level but will also cost you and cause changes to the aircraft's specifications (for example a decrease in range due to increased fuel burn). You can read more about the upgrades from the Aircraft upgrades manual page.
Regulation Implementation
Before any noise regulation is implemented the players are notified in advance. There are three types of notifications:
- Dashboard news
- General advisory messages to each player's inbox (to inform of the pending new regulation)
- Violation advistory messages to each player's inbox (to inform if some of their aircraft does not meet the regulation)
The first Dashboard news is posted up to 8 years in advance before the regulation activates; with further updates 5, 3, 1 and 0.5 years before implementation. The dedicated inbox messages are sent to each player operating in the affected region up to 6 months before the regulation becomes active. Similar news and messages are posted also on the day the regulation activates.
On the day the noise regulation becomes active (or changes to a higher level) the system also automatically checks the routes of each airline operating in the region. If the aircraft do not meet the noise regulation levels, the routes in question are automatically unscheduled and the player will receive a notification. In this case the player should change the routes to a different aircraft (capable of meeting the noise regulations) or if possible upgrading that particular aircraft with a Hushkit (if available).
When a noise regulation is active the player cannot naturally schedule any new routes that would be in violation of the noise regulation. Creating new routes for an aircraft group not fulfilling the noise requirements will also bring up a notification at the route editor window.
The AirwaySim's noise regulation rules follow the real-life implementations of such regulations. First limitations activate in the United States in 1985 when Chapter 1 aircraft are banned. Similar regulations activate in 1988 for Europe, while Chapter 2 aircraft bans start in year 2000. Parts of the world (some of Asia and Africa) remain completely unregulated during the whole time. The exact noise regulation rules can be always found in each airport page and in the Dashboard news.
