Boston Logan aircraft noise: flight paths, runways and night flights

Runways and the wind

Boston Logan has six runways: 04L/22R, 04R/22L, 09/27, 14/32, 15L/33R and 15R/33L. Planes land and take off into the wind, and at Boston Logan the wind and the traffic decide which of several runways are in use, often more than one direction at a time. On the main pair of runway directions, planes landed towards the north (runway 04) on 36% of days over the last year and towards the south (runway 22) on 36%. On the other 17%, the direction changed during the day. The other runways carry a good share too: 33 (north-west) 14% of flights, 27 (west) 13%, 09 (east) 12% and 15 (south-east) 10%.

Days towards the south come in spells. In the last year, November, December and March had the most, about half of their days or more. That is why one visit to a house can mislead: a street under one approach can have a quiet week, then weeks of planes.

Where landing planes fly

Landing planes line up with the runway several miles out and descend on a straight, gentle slope, so the same streets hear them at much the same height every time.

Landing towards the north (runway 04R, 59% of these landings), planes line up over Milton, Milton Center, Dorchester and North Quincy and descend to about 1,850 ft 6 miles before the runway and 800 ft at 2.5 miles.

Landing towards the north (runway 04L, 41% of these landings), planes line up over Milton, Milton Village, Dorchester and South Boston and descend to about 1,850 ft 6 miles before the runway and 750 ft at 2.5 miles.

Landing towards the south (runway 22L), planes line up over Salem, Wyoma, Raddin Station and Beachmont and descend to about 1,900 ft 6 miles before the runway and 850 ft at 2.5 miles.

Landing towards the west (runway 27), planes line up over Winthrop and Winthrop Beach and descend to about 1,850 ft 6 miles before the runway and 800 ft at 2.5 miles.

Landing towards the north-west (runway 33L, 97% of these landings), planes line up over Hingham Center, Nantasket Beach, Pemberton and Harbor Islands and descend to about 1,850 ft 6 miles before the runway and 750 ft at 2.5 miles.

Large jets at these heights are clearly heard well to either side of the line, not only directly beneath it.

Where takeoffs go

Takeoffs climb much faster than landings descend, and they turn onto set routes soon after leaving the runway, so they spread over a wider area at greater heights.

Taking off towards the north (runway 04), planes climb to about 1,750 ft 1 mile past the end of the runway and 3,600 ft at 5 miles. Most head north-east, passing Revere at about 3,650 ft.

Taking off towards the south (runway 22), planes climb to about 1,550 ft 1 mile past the end of the runway and 3,450 ft at 5 miles. Most head south-east, passing Harbor Islands at about 3,700 ft; about 24% turn south, over North Quincy.

Taking off towards the north-west (runway 33), planes climb to about 1,800 ft 1 mile past the end of the runway and 3,700 ft at 5 miles. Most head north-west, passing Glenwood at about 3,700 ft.

Taking off towards the west (runway 27), planes climb to about 1,650 ft 1 mile past the end of the runway and 3,600 ft at 5 miles. Most head south-west, passing Roxbury at about 3,650 ft.

Taking off towards the east (runway 09), planes climb to about 1,650 ft 1 mile past the end of the runway and 3,350 ft at 5 miles. Most head east.

Taking off towards the south-east (runway 15), planes climb to about 950 ft 1 mile past the end of the runway and 3,250 ft at 5 miles. Most head south-east, passing Harbor Islands at about 3,350 ft.

Night flights and quiet hours

On an average night over the last year, 174 planes landed or took off between 11:00 pm and 7:00 am, and 276 on the busiest night. Flights run through the night: on a typical night, the longest stretch without a landing or takeoff is about 80 minutes, at no fixed time. Traffic builds from about 6:00 am, and the busiest hour is 6:00 pm–7:00 pm, with about 72 flights.

Night rules differ from airport to airport: how curfews, quotas and bans work explains the kinds there are.

Busy days and quiet days

Over the year, Boston Logan averaged about 1,100 landings and takeoffs a day. The quietest month was January, with about 960 a day, and the busiest June, with about 1,200. Saturday is the quietest day of the week and Thursday the busiest. For most homes nearby, though, the runway direction matters more than the number of flights.

Checking a home near Boston Logan

These figures describe the airport as a whole. What one home hears depends on how close it is to the lines above, how often those runways are used and at what time. How to check aircraft noise before buying a house sets out the checks, and is this house under a flight path? shows how to find the lines on a map. To raise a noise problem, how to complain about aircraft noise explains where to start.