A Victory in the Fight Against Airplane Noise

“Last year, the FAA instituted a new flight pattern that created a constant barrage of airplane noise in northeast Queens,” Braunstein said. “The agency made these changes without any public input or environmental impact studies.”

Ra, who was among the legislation's co-sponsors, said the study will help determine the best use of certain runways and flight paths of planes coming in and out of LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy and Newark Liberty airports and use federal funding to solve this "growing problem."

And state Sen. Tony Avella, D-Bayside, said his office has received complaints every week for a year about the noise.

"My office continues to hear from homeowners who are irate at the increase in air traffic over their homes, which is causing an intolerable amount of air and noise pollution," the senator said. "Frankly, it is unfathomable that the Port Authority, which controls three of the busiest airports in the world in one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, has not conducted a study assessing the impact of aircraft noise in residential areas. While I understand new flight patterns may need to be instituted, they need to be properly evaluated to determine the impact on the quality of life for residents."

Any legislation having to do with the Port Authority has to be signed into law by the governors of both New York and New Jersey. The bill is currently making its way through the New Jersey Legislature.

The study's findings, which could be available to the public by June 1, 2014, must be submitted to the governors and legislatures of both New York and New Jersey, and would require the PA to hold biennial public hearings in Kings, Queens and Nassau counties in New York and Union and Essex counties in New Jersey.