"Eventually what we need is identical curfews at both Valley airports," he said. "Whereas, no one is talking of curfews at LAX or Ontario. That makes it easier for the Valley airports not to try to serve a 24-hour function."
To justify a possible transfer of flights from Bob Hope, Burbank officials note that 1,545 households are located in the noisiest areas around the Burbank facility, and 54 households are similarly situated around Van Nuys.
Burbank officials say they hope the proposal won't cause tension between the two airports but add they represent constituents who for decades have made it "loud and clear that this was a priority."
"If you compare the impacts to people who are residents, who are sleeping at nighttime, I think the impact on people in Burbank and [adjacent neighborhoods] is probably higher," said Burbank Mayor Marsha Ramos."
The proposed curfew is the latest attempt by the airport authority that operates Bob Hope to mend relations with its neighbors, who have complained about noise since the late-1960s, with the advent of commercial flights there. The proposal is in a 45-day public comment period. Officials hope to submit it to the FAA this summer. The agency is required to issue a decision within six months.
To receive FAA approval, the proposal must fulfill a number of rigorous requirements, including proving that the monetary benefits of banning overnight operations outweigh the costs. The ban would save $67 million in part by reducing the need to soundproof additional homes, consultants found, while costing commercial airlines, passengers and cargo carriers $55 million.
Airport officials acknowledge that they face an uphill battle in Washington.
"I think we have achieved the standard necessary to meet the regulatory requirements or we wouldn't be moving forward," said Carl Povilaitis, president of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority. "It's taken us an awful long time to get here; we are in uncharted territory."
The FAA already has raised concerns with Bob Hope's proposal. Citing a 97% compliance rate with its voluntary 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew on large commercial aircraft, the agency in a 2004 letter questioned whether an outright ban was necessary. Burbank officials say noise generated by cargo aircraft, corporate jets and smaller airplanes that use the facility at night continues to bother neighbors.
"Our doggone airport is smack in the middle of single-family residential," Ramos said. "That's why it must have constraints on growth and particularly nighttime flights."
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jennifer.oldham@latimes.com
