City Officials, Citizens Upset By Increase In Air Traffic Over City

At Friday night's Board of Aldermen meeting, Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone asked the board for approval to engage legal counsel, a first step in bringing suit against the Federal Aviation Administration over an alleged increase in air traffic noise over the city.

The suit is in response to Somerville residents' complaints about airport-related noise and the FAA's unwillingness to meet with city officials to discuss it. "Thousands of constituents have contacted me" about the increase in air traffic noise, Curtatone said.

The Somerville News reports FAA figures show the amount of planes flying over the city has tripled in the last two years. Curtatone said he is hopeful that other similarly afflicted neighboring communities will come on board with the suit.

"To represent the city in litigation against the FAA and Massport over increased airport noise," Curtatone gave recommendation to the law firm of Robinson and Cole LLP.

Located just two miles away from Somerville is Boston's Logan International Airport, New England's largest and busiest airport.

The airport's statistics document record-setting activity for Logan in 2007, including accommodating over 28 million passengers, almost 400,000 flights, and 632 million pounds of cargo.

FMI: www.somervillema.gov, http://massport.com/logan/default.aspx