New air transportation rules come into force in Russia on March 1, which open up the possibility of implementing the concept of a "silent airport," Oleg Panteleev, Executive Director of the Aviaport agency, told TASS.
Changes to the Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) allow airports to replace most of the mandatory audio announcements with visual information. The concept has long been used in leading global hubs, but in Russia its implementation was hampered by regulations requiring voice notification for a wide range of events, from the start of registration to the location of the mother and child room.
Mandatory sound information is retained for key events: the start and location of boarding, flight delays and cancellations with reasons, registration and baggage claim. Navigation and service information — the location of mother and child rooms, travel directions, inspection procedures — is now sufficient to transmit only visually.
Aerodynamics Holding, which manages the airports of Sochi, Krasnodar and Anapa, is already preparing for the transition. During peak periods, Sochi Airport broadcast up to 1,500 audio announcements per day — a significant part of them duplicated data on screens. Reducing background noise, according to the holding's calculations, will make the remaining audio messages — primarily about safety and urgent changes — more noticeable.
