Noise Management

The Oshawa Executive Airport is a significant asset for economic growth in the City and for Durham Region. We are committed to balancing our residents' quality of life with the airport's economic benefits.

Transport Canada regulates airport activity. The Oshawa Executive Airport is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. However, voluntary flight restrictions are in place from 10:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., limiting flights to police, medical and industrial flights and Oshawa-based aircraft returning to the airport.

The Oshawa Executive Airport prides itself on our progressive "Good Community Neighbour" policy. We try to balance the essential service the airport provides and the sensitivity to aircraft noise.

Noise and air traffic concerns

Transport Canada is the regulator, and only the Federal government can regulate airport activity. This means that municipal by-laws cannot be used to regulate aircraft activity and that Members of Council, City staff and the Airport Manager do not have the authority to regulate aircraft activity and no ability to control or limit flight activities. In 2021, the Federal Minister of Transport was contacted by the City of Oshawa and the Town of Whitby, who advocated that the Federal noise abatement procedures and restrictions for the Oshawa Executive Airport need to be implemented.

The City is committed to ensuring open dialogue and considering the needs of both airport users and community members as we work to fulfill our agreement with the Federal Government to operate the Oshawa Executive Airport until 2047.

In 2022, the City submitted to Transport Canada Proposed Noise Abatement Procedures for the Oshawa Executive Airport and Council’s position as expressed in DS-22-67, which requested that the Minister approve a new Noise Abatement Procedure.

More recently, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, announced that Transport Canada has issued a Request for Proposals to hire an aviation professional services contractor to help the department analyze current and future airport supply and demand in Southern Ontario. The contractor will assist Transport Canada officials in scoping the requirements for a comprehensive study of airport capacity in Southern Ontario and a formal consultation process.

Following the scoping of work for the study, Transport Canada will post a second Request for Proposals to engage a third-party contractor to undertake the study as well as the consultation. For more information visit the Transport Canada website.

There are two methods available to the City for the establishment of a new noise abatement procedure at the Airport: a voluntary process and a formal process. Both processes are required to be undertaken in the context of Canadian Aviation Regulation 602.105, in compliance with Transport Canada’s Advisory Circular 302-020.

Noise and traffic management policy

General Aircraft Movements:

Night Operational Limitations: Between 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m., only police, medical and industrial emergency flights are permitted to land and take off from the Oshawa Executive Airport. Other airport tenants with aircraft based at the Oshawa Executive Airport are permitted to land during the hours above but are not allowed to take off.
Preferential Runway Use: Runway 30 is the preferred runway at the Oshawa Executive Airport (aircraft depart from the southeast to the northwest over Thornton Road and Taunton Road). Aircraft will use this runway when the winds are blowing from a heading of 210 degrees (incrementally) to 30 degrees and up to 5 kn.
Departure Procedures: Aircraft leaving the Oshawa Executive Airport will continue to fly on the runway heading until they reach 1,000 feet above sea level (540 ft. above ground level) before they turn off the runway heading.
Arrivals Procedures: Aircraft flying into the Oshawa Executive Airport will remain at least 1,000 ft. above sea level (540 ft. above ground level) before turning for their final landing approach.

Flight Training Restrictions (includes private aircraft):

Prior permission by the Airport Manager is required for all flight training, including private and commercial pilot recurrent training.
A maximum of 12 aircrafts are permitted in the circuit for training purposes on Runway 05/23 at any given time.
Flight training aircraft will not utilize a touch-and-go departure pattern on any runway after 4 p.m. on Saturday or Sunday.

During the holiday long weekends, circuit training is not permitted on the Sunday or Monday on any runway.

How can a noise and traffic management policy be implemented if Transport Canada regulates air traffic and flights?

At the local level, airports may establish voluntary noise abatement procedures provided they have consensus from all users. However, there is no legal recourse if an airport user violates the voluntary procedure.

Oshawa has voluntary procedures and airport users are reminded of these procedures continuously. In addition, the Oshawa Executive Airport staff routinely monitor aircraft activity. Although we have no recourse if a user violates the procedures, most operators respect the current procedures.

Proposed noise abatement procedures

The City of Oshawa hosted a series of virtual workshops with community members and airport users to obtain input on the Draft Proposed Noise Abatement Procedures for the Oshawa Executive Airport in November 2021. Thank you to all who participated in the workshops and provided their feedback.

The draft procedures were developed in consultation with H.M. Aero Aviation Consulting, a professional team of individuals with significant airport-related experience, including familiarity with creating noise abatement procedures.

The Draft Proposed Noise Abatement Procedures are outlined in Report DS-21-190. View the entire H.M. Aero report: Proposed Noise Abatement Procedures for the Oshawa Executive Airport. The September 27, 2021 report contains 14 Draft Proposed Noise Abatement Procedures developed for public and stakeholder consultation.

Using the federal process prescribed by Transport Canada to develop a solution, the 14 Draft Proposed Noise Abatement Procedures were intended to address noise, safety and air quality concerns identified in the 2021-2022 Oshawa Executive Airport Action Plan and raised during the fall of 2020 virtual workshops related to flight training aircraft traffic, circuit patterns, hours of operation and noise.

The opportunity to provide feedback on the 14 Draft Proposed Noise Abatement Procedures has concluded. The input received in the consultation process has been used to refine how the Draft Proposed Noise Abatement will be used to refine the Draft Proposed Noise Abatement Procedures. The City continues to advocate to Transport Canada for better noise control measures.

Noise berms

Noise berms are an effective method of reducing ground based noise. The Airport has established four earthen noise berms on the airport running:

in a north-south line and located immediately east of the large hangarminium complex to reduce the noise associated with aircraft operating in the area of the hangars
in a northeast-southwest line and located immediately southeast of the threshold for Runway 05 to reduce the noise associated with aircraft exiting and entering the threshold of Runway 05
in an east-west line and located immediately south of the threshold for runway 05 to reduce the noise associated with aircraft exiting and entering the threshold of Runway 05
in an east-west line and located immediately south of the threshold for Runway 30 and extending to the eastern limit of the airport to reduce the noise associated with aircraft exiting and entering the threshold of Runway 30