ABSTRACT
Aviation in the twenty-first century contributes to climate change, noise and air pollution. Together with various social and economic problems, environmental issues have the potential to constrain the operation and growth of airports. Constraints on airport capacity affect the capacity of the air navigation system as a whole. Many international airports are operating at their maximum, and some have already reached their operating limits including those resulting from environmental impact. This situation is expected to become more widespread as air traffic continues to increase. Already aircraft noise is a limiting factor for the capacity of regional and international airports throughout the world.
