SINGAPORE — In response to public concerns about noise, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) will dial down the frequency of its flights islandwide and end night flying activities earlier during the national examination season for schools.

The restrictions will be rolled out based on a schedule provided by the Ministry of Education and will start a day before the exams kick off. They will be in place until the exams end. 

Four national exams — the Primary School Leaving Examination and the GCE N-Levels, O-Levels and A-Levels — are scheduled to take place between Sept 14 and Dec 2.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Sept 1), Ms Yeo Wan Ling, Member of Parliament (MP) for Pasir Ris-Punggol Group Representation Constituency, said that RSAF’s flight schedules were adjusted in response to feedback from residents in her ward of Punggol Shore. 

Residents were concerned about aircraft noise during the exam season.

Ms Yeo said that the noise-generating RSAF aircraft take off from or land at the Paya Lebar Airbase. These flights are part of the air force’s training to maintain operational readiness.

The airbase will be moved closer to the coast from 2030, lowering the number of RSAF planes flying overhead in her ward, she said. RSAF has also moved half its flight training overseas, with the other half done in Singapore.

“For our students taking examinations this period, study hard and good luck,” Ms Yeo said. 

Mountbatten MP Lim Biow Chuan said last Saturday that several residents had written to him about the noise generated by military aircraft during the exams. 

“They all understood the need for national defence, but asked if the noise can be mitigated during the key exam period,” Mr Lim wrote on Facebook. 

“Thanks to Mindef (the Ministry of Defence) for hearing our feedback.”

When contacted on Tuesday, Mindef confirmed RSAF’s move. 

Punggol resident Joy Lee, 36, told TODAY that she did not notice the aircraft noise until she began working from home in April.

“It’s daily torture... When I am on a call and the plane flies overhead, (my voice) can get drowned out even if I am using a headset,” the research consultant said. 

In response to TODAY’s queries on noise from military aircraft last week, Mindef said that RSAF needed to continue flying in Singapore’s airspace to keep its pilots proficient and maintain operational readiness to safeguard the country’s skies.  

“While a significant proportion of RSAF flying training is conducted with simulators and overseas, local flying training is still necessary,” it said.

To mitigate the impact of aircraft noise on the public, most of RSAF’s flights are over water instead of over land, Mindef said. 

RSAF has reduced flight routes over populated areas, where possible, and minimised the number of aircraft for each flying window. 

“We thank the public for their understanding of the RSAF’s flying activities and their continued support for national defence,” Mindef said. ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY NAVENE ELANGOVAN