Frequently Asked Questions

Boston Logan is bordered to the north, south, and west by land and to the east by the Boston Harbor. Whether an aircraft can be directed to fly established procedures over the water depends on the runways in use at the time. (Please visit How Boston Logan Operates.) The FAA and Massport have designed specific procedures to take advantage of over-the-water flights when possible. For example, Runway 22R departures are directed to turn away from South Boston and fly a course that places aircraft over Boston Harbor. The FAA, weather permitting, utilizes easterly-facing runways of Runway 33L for arrivals and Runway 15R for departures. Note that aircraft may fly over Boston Harbor, but eventually will fly over communities to the north and south of the airport.

Aircraft associated with Boston Logan International Airport tend to fly within broad airspace areas as the FAA directs aircraft to and from the airfield. If you live within one of these areas, you will likely experience aircraft overflights. How and to what frequency any particular land area is overflown depends on the weather, the runways being used, the type of aircraft, aircraft engine characteristics, and relative distance from the airport. Some communities are impacted by more than one runway operation, some by just one specific operation; others may be impacted by traffic not related to Boston Logan (particularly when helicopters are involved). Flight Monitor (PublicVue) or Massport’s Noise Abatement Office can assist you to better understand this relationship between where you live and airport overflights.

Commercial pilots fly prescribed routes to and from Boston Logan as instructed by air traffic controllers. The FAA is responsible for managing Boston Logan’s airspace and for ensuring the safe and expeditious flow of traffic. Massport is responsible for operating and maintaining Boston Logan facilities and for ensuring runways (and taxiways and other facilities) are in good working condition, meet FAA regulations, and are available for use.

Massport, the FAA, and the communities have implemented a number of noise abatement measures. These efforts include noise abatement overwater turbojet routes for westbound/southbound and northbound/eastbound traffic, sound insulation of homes and schools that meet eligibility requirements, and a noise monitoring system that provides an ongoing, continuous noise monitoring capability. Massport also works with the airlines and universities as they conduct research to reduce noise. The FAA, airlines, and aircraft manufacturers provide ongoing review and refinement to reduce noise. For example, for the years 2020–2021, Boston Logan’s fleet mix was comprised of 69% Stage 4 aircraft and 29% Stage 5 aircraft (Stage 5 being the quietest), well above the FAA minimum Stage 3 engines, which account for the other 2% or 3%.

Wind, weather, and availability dictate which runways the FAA can use. If Boston is in a persistent weather pattern, this may force the FAA to rely on the same runways for a long period of time. New England is subject to frequent changes in weather conditions, but it is unusual for the same runways to be used 24/7 for consecutive days, given the variety of wind speeds and directions that occur.

Helicopter routes are controlled by the FAA. Typical complaints concerning helicopters tend to be associated with the media (hovering for filming/reporting), with medical flights (when shortcuts are taken in emergency cases), or with vehicular traffic monitors. Note that most helicopter flights do not originate from or terminate at Boston Logan.

The FAA is responsible for managing Boston Logan’s airspace and for ensuring the safe and expeditious flow of traffic. Massport is responsible for operating and maintaining Boston Logan facilities and for ensuring runways (and taxiways and other facilities) are in good working condition, meet FAA regulations, and are available for use. Refer to the FAA’s website for more details.

Massport, a state authority, is the airport operator for Boston Logan (and Hanscom Field and Worcester Regional Airport). Massport is responsible for operating and maintaining Boston Logan facilities and for ensuring runways (and taxiways and other facilities) are in good working condition, meet FAA regulations, and are available for use. The FAA is responsible for managing Boston Logan’s airspace and for ensuring the safe and expeditious flow of traffic. Refer to the FAA’s website for more details.

Like most commercial airports in the U.S., Boston Logan operates 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. There is no nighttime curfew at Boston Logan. The FAA and Massport have developed a preferred over-the-water procedure during late-night hours. This procedure places aircraft over Boston Harbor as much as possible, wind and weather permitting.

Propeller aircraft tend to fly slower and are more maneuverable than turbojet aircraft. Also, larger aircraft produce wake vortices which, like the wakes caused by boats in water, can introduce air turbulence that impact other, particularly smaller, aircraft. Because of their performance characteristics and for wake vortex avoidance, the FAA tends to separate jet traffic from non-jet traffic and to direct non-jet aircraft over a broader area and at lower altitudes than jets.

Boston Logan’s airfield layout consists of six runways that vary in length from 2,557 feet to 10,081 feet. Boston Logan’s runways are aligned in multiple directions, with runway ends pointing toward six distinct compass headings. Aircraft must generally take off and land into the wind, so the availability of specific runway configurations is determined by wind speed and direction and other weather conditions. The runway layout provides necessary operating flexibility, given Boston Logan’s coastal location and highly variable wind conditions. Non-coastal airports that do not experience the same variation in wind conditions may have a simpler airfield layout and fewer required operating configurations. When runways are closed for maintenance, other runways have to be used.

Aircraft associated with Boston Logan International Airport tend to fly within broad airspace corridors as the FAA directs aircraft to and from the airfield. If you live within one of these corridors, you will likely experience aircraft overflights. How and to what frequency any particular land area is impacted depends on the weather, the runways being used, the type of aircraft, aircraft engine characteristics, and relative distance from the airport. Some communities are impacted by more than one runway operation, some by just one specific operation; others may be impacted by traffic not related to Boston Logan (particularly when helicopters are involved). Flight Monitor or Massport’s Noise Abatement Office can assist you to better understand this relationship between where you live and airport overflights. 

The FAA has designated 65 dB DNL annual contour as the critical threshold to use for soundproofing eligibility. Massport submits to the FAA for approval a 65 DNL noise contour for a specific year. After FAA approval, Massport uses the 65 DNL contour to determine residential sound insulation eligibility. To be eligible, a home must fall within the FAA-approved sound exposure map.

To determine if you are eligible, we encourage you to email Massport. Based on the address you provide, we will determine if you are eligible.

Because noise changes from year to year, the FAA requires Massport to periodically submit a new sound exposure map for their review and approval. Therefore, eligibility for any particular home may change over time.
 

Aircraft operating at Boston Logan have a diverse range of noise levels. These noise levels primarily depend on the type of engine used by the aircraft, the size of the aircraft, and whether the aircraft is taxiing on the airfield, landing, or taking off. The newest, Stage 5 aircraft, tend to be the quietest aircraft in the fleet. Departures tend to be louder than arrivals, since the aircraft is generating more power to the engine to achieve lift.