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NOISE nuisance from aircraft can be reduced significantly by changing the way the planes come in to land. Lining up with the runway as far as 70 kilometres away and making a steady descent can more than halve the acoustic energy that reaches the ground, an international research consortium has found. Now pressure is on for the technique to be considered for London’s Heathrow, the busiest international airport in the world.

Noise pollution around airports is set to get worse. Air traffic worldwide is increasing at 4.7 per cent per year and is expected to triple by 2030. Without a…

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