Suozzi Presses FAA and DOT to Address Persistent Airplane Noise Around JFK and LGA in New Letter

September 30, 2026

Suozzi says agencies must move beyond nominal changes and deliver meaningful relief to Queens and Long Island communities

Washington, D.C.–Congressman Suozzi (D-Long Island, Queens) last night sent a follow up letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Federal Aviation Administrator Bryan Bedford urging immediate action to reduce persistent airplane noise affecting communities surrounding John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport. This letter follows a response Congressman Suozzi received regarding his April 2026 letter to Secretary Duffy, Administrator Bedford, and Regional Administrator Kennington-Gardiner requesting a reduction in airplane noise surrounding both airports. The response failed to adequately address the problem for residents living under flight paths from both airports.

“I appreciate the FAA’s response and willingness to engage, but the problem has not been fixed,” said Congressman Suozzi. “Airplane noise isn’t just an annoyance, it’s a real quality-of-life and public health issue, and my constituents deserve relief. I am again asking the Federal Aviation Administration to do more to reduce airplane noise and protect the quality of life of families in my district. This is a serious issue, and I will not stop pressing the FAA until they bring meaningful relief to my constituents.”

Since coming to Congress in 2017, Congressman Suozzi has made reducing airplane noise a priority, working with federal officials, airlines, and local stakeholders to maintain consistent pressure on the FAA to substantively address noise issues. Congressman Suozzi serves as Vice Chair of the bipartisan congressional Quiet Skies Caucus, where he recently led a bipartisan letter demanding a reduction in airplane noise ahead of the summer months.

Read Suozzi’s full letter here and below.

Dear Secretary Duffy and Administrator Bedford,

Thank you for your response to my April 6, 2026, letter regarding aircraft noise surrounding John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and LaGuardia Airport (LGA). I appreciate the FAA’s efforts to address this ongoing issue with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey airports, airlines, and our communities. Since receiving your response, I have continued tracking aircraft noise complaints and hearing directly from my constituents to determine whether conditions have improved. They have not!

My constituents are increasingly frustrated. Aircraft noise remains a major quality-of-life concern. Research has linked aircraft noise to sleep disturbance, stress, cardiovascular disease, and poorer learning outcomes in children. This is not just an annoyance, and these grievances are not isolated. It affects the health, well-being, sleep quality, and daily lives of citizens under these flight paths.

I have three specific requests:

Require arrivals using JFK Runway 22L and 22R to remain at 3,000 feet until they are within 15 miles of the airport at all times. I appreciate the FAA’s decision to begin keeping arrivals into JFK Runways 22L and 22R at or above 3,000 feet until they are within 15 miles of the airport during “nighttime hours”, when conditions allow. But this does not go far enough. In 2018, I brokered a deal with the FAA to do exactly this all day, not only at night. The FAA must honor this agreement and explain why the 3,000-foot procedure is now only being applied during the night. Constituents continue to report a decline in their quality of life and repeated low-flying planes over their neighborhoods. Constituents deserve relief from persistent aircraft noise at all hours of the day, not just at night.
Stricter oversight of air traffic rotation of runways 22L and 22R every eight hours when conditions permit.This can help communities under the 22L/22R flight path from shouldering noise pollution constantly, but stricter oversight is needed to ensure these procedures are consistently followed. I respectfully request the FAA provide information on how often this strategy is deployed, and what alternative solutions the FAA considers minimizing noise when airport volume does not allow for runway rotation.
Minimize the use of the TNNIS climb. I also appreciate the FAA’s efforts to minimize use of the TNNIS departure procedure between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. This is a productive step, yet just as residents under JFK flight paths experience noise at all hours, the problem does not end at 8:00 a.m. Residents in Queens are awake, working, going to school, and living their daily lives. In fact, flight activity around JFK and LGA remains substantial throughout the day; the busiest period being afternoon hours when residents are spending time with their families, and simply trying to enjoy their homes and communities. The FAA must consider how to reduce use of the TNNIS climb beyond these early morning hours. I welcome a discussion to understand any barriers the FAA faces.

There is no single solution to airplane noise. Safety, weather, traffic, and airport operations must always be considered, but these challenges cannot become an excuse for inaction. Residents have dealt with persistent aircraft noise for far too long, and they are rightfully asking when they will see results. Continued delays in addressing this issue only prolong the burden on these communities and undermine Congress’s efforts to address aviation noise. The FAA must move beyond monitoring the problem. It must take action and follow through on the commitments it has made to our communities. My constituents deserve meaningful relief.

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