The DeKalb-Peachtree Airport, Georgia's second-busiest airport, is expanding. Local residents are concerned about the implications these airport upgrades will have on local air and noise pollution.
As Fox 5 Atlanta reported, the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners approved a $45 million airport project in 2025.
The work will expand the PDK's infrastructure by 13 acres, or a total of eight new jet hangars, per Rough Draft Atlanta.
The outlet noted the new hangar addition, set to be built by Sky Harbour Group Corporation by 2027, has a projected return on investment of over $576 million in revenue over the next 50 years. About $211 million of this projected revenue will go to DeKalb County.
Despite these expected financial gains, local residents fear that adding this jet hangar will increase aviation traffic at this already-busy airport.
"It will cause more noise and more pollution," said Jaime Dutro, a local resident, per Fox 5 Atlanta. "More large jets. They pollute more. It's a pretty bad decision."
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Living near high-traffic transport areas, including highways, ports, and airports, exposes local residents to higher levels of pollution, which can lead to increased health issues.
Port emissions, for example, can trigger respiratory issues, increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, and cause cancer.
A study published in the journal Noise & Health found that aviation noise pollution has a negative effect on children's cognitive skills. Meanwhile, International Noise Awareness Day linked it to stress, hypertension, sleep disturbances, and decreased work-related performance.
However, Sky Harbour's Senior Vice President, Neil Szymczak, told Fox 5 the work may help reduce unnecessary air travel in and out of PDK airport by reducing repositioning flights.
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$200 or more 💰 Storing the jets at the hangar will reduce the need for jets to fly in empty to pick up passengers for travel, which may ultimately lower air pollution.
While immediately adjacent airport residents are understandably more concerned about the potential increased pollution from this airport expansion project, others are excited about the growth.
"Airports need to exist and need to expand," one commenter wrote under a Reddit post asking for the public's thoughts on the PDK hangar expansion project. "People can b**** all they want, but we need them in our infrastructure."
"Great news, PDK desperately needs it," another Redditor added. "Increasing hangar space should have no appreciable correlation with noise."
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