Residents Near NYC Airports Say Aircraft Noise Has Become a Health Concern

New Yorkers demand action as aircraft noise threatens health and peace

Residents living near New York City's busiest airports say the noise overhead has escalated from a nuisance to a health concern.

A 2025 study from University College London found that people exposed to higher levels of aircraft noise had worse heart function, raising the risk of heart attack and stroke. Aircraft noise at night had especially severe effects, the research also found.

"It's one after the other"

Maria and William Becce, who have lived in Flushing, Queens, for four decades, recall the moment in 2012 when the sky above their home first erupted with the roar of a low-flying plane. From that point, they say aircraft noise evolved from a distant rumble to an almost constant roar.

The couple believes a shift in flight paths at LaGuardia has led to planes flying lower and more frequently above their heads.

"It's one after the other," William Becce said.

"I can't think. I can't have a conversation," Maria Becce said.

"If I'm watching television, it's almost impossible," William Becce said.

Now, they're concerned for their health.

"That's the stress, and whether or not you think you're ignoring it or not, you're not. Your body's not ignoring it," Maria Becce said.

The Becces say they're not asking for silence, just relief from the noise extremes of recent years.

"It's the equitable sharing, so that you're not exposing the same people over and over again," Maria Becce said.

Lawmaker proposes sound abatement plan

Congressman Tom Suozzi is now pushing for changes at both LaGuardia and JFK.

"They figured out how to have the planes go through a much narrower funnel, so that was great for the people out here on the outside parts of the funnel," he said, "but for the people on the inside parts of the funnel, there's more planes going over that way all the time."

In a new letter to the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation, Suozzi is proposing a plan focused on sound abatement, including dispersing flight paths and sharper increases in aircraft altitude, to ease the burden on communities in so-called "noise corridors."

"This problem happens in airport areas throughout the country, but we're concerned about one of the heaviest, most congested areas, as far as airspace, anywhere in the world, which is the New York area," Suozzi said.

He says his proposed solutions are practical and achievable without compromising safety or disrupting the aviation industry.

The FAA and Department of Transportation declined to comment.