Federal Register Comment on FAA Aviation Noise Complaint and Inquiry Response (ANCIR) Portal – March 2026
Date: March 22, 2026 – Current
Description: AICA’s public comment on the Federal Register regarding FAA via the comment page associated with FR Doc. 2026-0661.
1. AICA’s Federal Register Comment on FAA Aviation Noise Complaint and Inquiry Response (ANCIR) Portal
March 22, 2025 – AICA’s public comment was submitted via Docket No. FAA-2026-0061. The AICA comment includes:
Core Question
- What is the purpose of the ANCIR Noise Portal?
Key Findings
- Limited community engagement function
- No operational analysis of complaints
- No linkage to noise exposure conditions
- Underuse of community-submitted data
- Disconnect from FAA decision-making
Recommendations
Eight targeted recommendations to improve transparency, analysis, and accountability
- Purpose of the ANCIR Noise Portal
- Limits of Community Engagement
- Lack of Operational Analysis
- Missing Noise Exposure Context
- Underuse of Complaint Data
- Disconnect from FAA Decision-Making
- Implications for Noise Policy Review
- Targeted Improvements for Transparency and Accountability
2. Media Coverage: “Noise Complaint Data Must Be Used As An Analytical Tool, Communities Tell FAA” Airport Noise Report (ANR)
April 3, 2026 – Airport Noise Report covered AICA’s Federal Register comment on the FAA’s ANCIR Noise Portal, highlighting AICA’s central finding that noise complaint data must be used as an analytical tool to inform operational review, mitigation, and aviation noise policy, rather than functioning solely as a complaint intake system, and noting broad support from 76 advocacy organizations.
3. Letter: QSC Send Letter to Honorable Sean Duffy and Administrator Bryan Bedford – Urges FAA to Operationalize ANAC and Improve ANCIR Community Engagement
May 22, 2026 – Members of the Congressional Quiet Skies Caucus send a letter to Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford urging the FAA to operationalize the Aircraft Noise Advisory Committee (ANAC) and hold public meetings in aviation-impacted communities nationwide. The letter states that the FAA’s Aviation Noise Complaint & Inquiry Response (ANCIR) portal “functions primarily as a complaint intake mechanism rather than allowing meaningful engagement between the FAA and affected communities” and calls for greater opportunities for impacted communities to help inform aviation noise policy discussions.
3.A. Letter
3.B. Press Release: Quiet Skies Caucus Calls for ANAC and Improved Community Engagement
May 29, 2026 – The Quiet Skies Caucus press release includes a statement from AICA emphasizing that communities’ lived experience should help inform aviation noise policy discussions and that the FAA’s ANCIR portal should evolve beyond a complaint intake system to help identify systemic concerns and support mitigation efforts. PDF version available here.
4. FAA Summary of Public Comments and Responses
May 11, 2026 – The FAA published a summary of comments received during the 60-day comment period and its responses, organized into 12 topic areas. The summary includes responses to issues raised by AICA and other stakeholders.
5. AICA’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Comment on FAA Aviation Noise Complaint and Inquiry Response (ANCIR)
May 31, 2026 – Building on issues raised in AICA’s original Federal Register comment and the FAA’s subsequent responses, AICA submitted a comment as part of OMB’s review of the FAA’s ANCIR information collection renewal through both OMB’s review process (OMB Control No. 2120-0773) and the FAA’s public docket (Docket No. FAA-2026-0061) with AICA Comment ID FAA-2026-0661-0089.
AICA’s comment asks OMB to seek clarification from the FAA on two key issues:
- How the FAA’s description of ANCIR as a complaint intake system aligns with the broader analytical, transparency, and community engagement functions the FAA attributes to the portal; and
- How repeated submissions and recurring noise conditions are interpreted, characterized, and reflected in ANCIR data collection and public reporting.
6. Media Coverage: “Quiet Skies Caucus Demands FAA Solicit Members for ANAC by the End of June” Airport Noise Report (ANR)
June 5, 2026 – Airport Noise Report covered the bipartisan Congressional Quiet Skies Caucus letter urging the FAA to solicit members for the Aircraft Noise Advisory Committee (ANAC) by the end of June and convene its first meeting by the end of 2026. The article highlighted congressional concerns regarding delays in implementing ANAC and included AICA President and Co-Founder Darlene Yaplee’s statement emphasizing the importance of incorporating communities’ lived experience into ANAC and evolving the FAA’s ANCIR portal beyond a complaint intake system.