Brussels, 27/11/2001 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday, the European Commission is to adopt a proposal of directive that will allow European airports to ban the noisiest aircraft, by following the lines defined by the international agreement concluded during the last general assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (see EUROPE of 10 October, p.10). The directive will replace the April 1999 regulation banning the registration, in Europe, of aircraft fitted with sound muffling devices, or "hushkits", thus putting an end to the dispute between the EU and the United States.
Brussels and Washington reached an agreement at the end of October, whereby the EU pledges to withdraw its hushkit regulation, which the United States considers to be unilateral and discriminatory. It will be replaced by a new directive. The United States is expected, on its side, to withdraw its complaint before the ICAO (see EUROPE of 31 October, p;9). The new directive will allow an "airport by airport" ban on planes that do not "marginally" fulfil the acoustic criteria defined by the International Convention of Chicago for the certification of aircraft. It will define common parameters for assessing the environmental performance of aircraft.