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This airport is operated by Aéroport de la région Lausanne-Blécherette S.A. (ARLB) under a federal concession valid until 2037 and a separate, permanent municipal building rights agreement valid until spring 2069. As such, under current circumstances, the municipality does not have the sole authority to close this airport or ban a particular type of flight. The Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) serves as the supervisory authority, ensuring that the airport’s operations comply with current legal requirements regarding the environment and safety. La Blécherette is designated as an airport for business, tourism, work, training, advanced training, and sports flights. It plays an important role, particularly in terms of aviation training and advanced training.

That said, the City of Lausanne has been committed for several years to reducing noise pollution from various sources, including road traffic as well as air traffic, in consultation with the various stakeholders involved. As a result, regular meetings have been held since 2016 between the Canton, the City, local residents, and airport operators.

At the same time, to quantify the noise perceived by local residents, the City commissioned a firm specializing in acoustics to conduct on-site measurements in two areas of the city located along the southern airport corridor. The results show actual and likely noise nuisance near the airport, on Chemin de Pierrefleur, while the nuisance at the more distant location, on Avenue de Montoie, is less evident. The noise measurements also highlighted the predominance of a few aircraft that are still very noisy, with their passage generating significant noise. It should also be noted that this significant, prominent noise near the airport must be put into perspective, as it results from a relatively small number of very noisy events that occur only during the day.

In light of this measured actual nuisance and with the aim of maintaining a good quality of life for residents of current and future neighborhoods, the City of Lausanne sought to go beyond the legal framework by encouraging the operating company to reduce the nuisance affecting neighboring neighborhoods. This commitment was formalized on October 2, 2018, with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the ARLB and the City of Lausanne.

This memorandum of understanding, valid for 5 years, addresses the following points in particular:

— a north-south distribution of aircraft movements, prioritizing flights heading north;

— measures, including financial ones, aimed at limiting nuisances and promoting innovations for the renewal of the aircraft fleet, particularly for flight schools;

— the establishment of regular meetings between the ARLB and the ADRB (association representing residents living near the Blécherette).

The impact of these measures will be reviewed during the annual consultation meetings between the ARLB, the ADRB, and the City. It will be evaluated, analyzed, and adjusted based on the results. Specifically, the number of southbound flights decreased by 10% in 2018 and 2019 compared to previous years.

For more details, please refer to Preliminary Report No. 2019/15 dated April 11, 2019: https://www.lausanne.ch/apps/actualites/index.php?actu_id=50880