Officials: Flight path change, made without notification, is driving surge in aircraft noise complaints

The Palm Springs Airport Commission heard a detailed presentation Wednesday about rising aircraft noise complaints from communities across the Coachella Valley, acknowledging that a Federal Aviation Administration change to flight approach paths — made without notifying the airport — appears to be at the root of the problem.

Commission Chair Kevin Corcoran told those attending the meeting that the FAA changed the approach path to Palm Springs International Airport around June 2025, and that the airport was not notified of the change. He said the commission began receiving an increasing number of noise complaints in January, initially from residents of Indian Wells and even Indio, and that the complaints have since spread to include residents from Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage and other valley communities.

At issue, according to Jake Ingrassia, a member of the airport’s communications team who made the presentation, under the Aircraft Noise and Capacity Act of 1990, airport staff is legally prohibited from making many moves that would improve noise levels.

“PSP cannot impose curfews, limit the number of flights, restrict aircraft types based on how noisy they are, or change flight paths or altitudes,” Ingrassia said. “Those decisions lay squarely with the FAA.”

Ingrassia said the airport’s authority extends only to the roughly 900 acres of airport property and to aircraft while they are on the ground. Once an aircraft is airborne, he said, it falls under FAA jurisdiction — locally within a five-mile radius managed by the airport’s FAA-operated air traffic control tower, and beyond that by the FAA’s Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control facility in San Diego.

Despite those limitations, Ingrassia said the airport is taking steps within its authority to reduce noise impacts, including rotating the locations of aircraft engine run-ups and maintenance testing around the airfield so that no single neighborhood bears the brunt of that activity on a consistent basis. He also said the airport does not host flight schools, which helps limit repetitive general aviation training noise.

Residents who attended the meeting described the noise as a significant disruption to daily life. One resident of the Escena neighborhood said aircraft noise is heard as early as 3 or 4 a.m., with engines idling at high settings for periods of up to 30 minutes. She asked the commission what specific measures would be taken to reduce early morning noise exposure if the airport’s planned expansion moves forward.

Claude Peck, a resident of the Sagewood Condominiums on the east side of the airport, said the noise is a daily reality for residents there. He said aircraft taking off six to eight times per hour force residents to stop conversations on their patios for roughly 45 seconds at a time until each plane passes.

“It’s really a daily impact on our lives,” Peck said.

Peck also called on the airport or the FAA to release public information about current noise and flight levels, and what those levels are projected to be when the airport expands from 19 to 32 gates as outlined in its master plan.

A commissioner asked why passenger facility charge, or PFC, funds are not being used for noise mitigation projects. Airport Executive Director Harry Barrett said those funds are not currently available because the FAA has not yet approved the airport’s layout plan, which is a prerequisite for designating approved projects. He also noted that any use of PFC funds requires approval from the airlines that serve the airport.

Barrett said the master plan does include proposals for noise walls and noise berms, as well as built structures along the east side of the airport that are expected to block a significant amount of noise once completed, but he said he did not have the exact cost figures available.

On a note that airport officials said offers some reassurance, Ingrassia said the total number of flights at Palm Springs International Airport has actually declined in recent years, with roughly 3,800 fewer flights in 2024 than in 2019, even as the airport set a passenger record of 3.3 million travelers. He said airlines are replacing smaller regional jets with larger mainline aircraft that carry more passengers per flight, and that those newer aircraft are generally quieter than the jets they are replacing.

Barrett told the commission and the public that the airport plans to hold a large Zoom session in the coming weeks to provide an educational forum for residents who have contacted the airport with noise concerns. He said the airport will reach out directly to those individuals to invite them to participate.

Barrett also encouraged residents to contact their congressional representatives and the FAA directly, saying that because the FAA operates at the federal level, elected officials at the federal level are the most effective avenue for residents seeking changes to flight paths or other airspace decisions.

“We can influence where the decision makers are at the federal level, and that’s our elected officials,” Barrett said.

Corcoran echoed that message, telling the public that the commission shares their concerns and is committed to continuing the dialogue.

“We hear you, we share your concerns,” Corcoran said. “We’re doing everything we can to gather the data that we hope can influence some of this change.”

Residents with noise concerns can submit comments through the airport’s online noise comment form at flypsp.com/noise.

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