Airport noise protection zone (OHP)

An airport noise protection zone (ochranné hlukové pásmo letiště, OHP) is designated where aircraft noise exceeds the outdoor noise limits. Outside the zone the limits must be met, and inside buildings they may not be exceeded even within the zone. Under the Czech Public Health Protection Act (Section 31(4)), the operator of an airport with more than 50,000 take-offs and landings a year, or of a military airport, must propose a zone when noise exceeds the limits. The measure of general nature (opatření obecné povahy) is issued by the building authority after an opinion of the regional public health authority, or by the Ministry of Defence for a military airport.

Who establishes the zone

Under the Civil Aviation Act (Section 37), noise zones are one type of airport protection zone. The noise protection zone is established by the building authority after consulting the spatial planning office and the Civil Aviation Authority (ÚCL). Other airport protection zones, such as those limiting building height or bird protection zones, are established directly by ÚCL.

What applies to homes in the zone

• For existing apartment buildings, family houses, schools and health and social care buildings, the airport operator must, based on an expert assessment, gradually carry out or arrange noise insulation so that the limits are met at least inside (Section 31(5)).
• Whoever builds a new house in the zone must, according to the regional public health authority, protect it from airport noise at their own expense and show that the indoor limits will be met.
• Where insulation would not be enough according to the assessment, the authority may start proceedings on a change of use or removal of the building (Section 31(5)).
• The specific conditions are set by the measure of general nature that designated the zone in the cadastral area concerned. The building authority that issued it holds it.

Václav Havel Airport Prague

The zone around Prague airport in Ruzyně has two zones, A and B, each with a different building regime for existing and new construction. It is set by measures of general nature for the individual cadastral areas of the municipalities concerned. The narrower zone B lies closer to the runways, the wider zone A surrounds it. The zone boundaries are shown in the noise map of the Prague Institute of Planning and Development (IPR) based on data from Letiště Praha. The boundary does not follow the calculated noise contour exactly but runs along major features of the area and the edges of built-up parts of municipalities.

Zone versus noise map

The strategic noise map is a calculation of noise in 5 dB bands used to prepare action plans; it sets no conditions for buildings. The noise protection zone is a legal designation with binding conditions. Aircraft may be audible outside the zone too; there, noise simply may not exceed the limits. How many aircraft actually fly over a house is shown by ADS-B data.

Frequently asked questions

Do smaller airports have a noise protection zone?

Only the operator of an airport with more than 50,000 movements a year and of a military airport must propose one. Zones established under earlier rules remain valid, and other airports also have protection zones. ÚCL publishes the measures of general nature on protection zones of aviation structures that it has issued since 2010; according to ÚCL this is not a complete list of all valid zones.