The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority (Airport Authority) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 Fly Quiet Awards, which recognize airlines for their efforts to reduce noise during arrivals and departures at San Diego International Airport (SAN).
- Southwest Airlines received the highest Fly Quiet Score in the large domestic carrier category for its continued use of the Boeing 737 MAX, a newer and quieter aircraft.
- Spirit Airlines won in the small domestic carrier category for flying more than half of its overall flights at SAN with newer and quieter aircraft.
- DHL, operated by iAero, won the air cargo carrier category for its use of quieter aircraft, the Boeing 737-800, no noise curfew violations, and the lowest noise exceedance score among air cargo carriers.
- Lufthansa won the international carrier category, achieving the best overall score in all categories. The airline utilizes the Airbus 350-900, which is a newer and quieter aircraft and has never had a curfew violation while operating at SAN.
“The Airport Authority is proud to collaborate with the Airport Noise Advisory Committee on the Fly Quiet Program, which we introduced in 2017 to encourage airlines to work together with the airport and the community to operate as quietly as possible in the San Diego area,” said Kim Becker, Airport Authority President and CEO.
The Fly Quiet Award recognizes airlines for their efforts to balance their operational needs with those of the community. The Fly Quiet Program uses a scoring system based on specific, scientific metrics that measure how quietly they operate, such as the types of aircraft they use, how loud those aircraft are, and their adherence to SAN’s curfew which prohibits departures between 11:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m.
