Be it more people, more jumbo jets, or maybe a combination of the two that's to blame, but an increasing number of 'Ewa Beach residents are growing frustrated about airplane noise, particularly at night.

The residents and their elected state officials made their objections known to state Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration officials at an Iroquois Point Elementary School meeting last week.

They complained that not only have the number of flights by jumbo jets increased, particularly at night and early-morning hours, but that they are flying lower, making them louder.

Jumbo airliners flying into Honolulu International Airport can land on only two runways: Runway 4 Right, which goes entirely over water, and Runway 8 Left, which travels over Kalaeloa and lower 'Ewa Beach.

An "informal runway use program," also known as the "preferential runway use program" established by the state Department of Transportation requires all large, heavy and military turbo jets to use Runway 4R between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.

But pilots can request to land via Runway 8L at night by citing "aircraft operational necessity" or a handful of other reasons, leading some living in the Iroquois Point Beach Club section of 'Ewa Beach to suggest that pilots are taking advantage of the loophole.

Among them is George Palfi, a Japan Airlines pilot who lives in Iroquois Point and flies into Ho-nolulu three to four times a month. Palfi believes pilots will use Runway 8L claiming "operational necessity" because it is shorter and uses less fuel.

"If you're going to allow (a pilot), and he wants to go home, sure he's going to use it," Palfi said after the meeting.

Palfi and a number of his neighbors at last week's meeting said they want to require pilots to file a report if they request to use 8L at night.

Palfi said there's also no reason why the state can't designate Runway 4R as the primary runway all the time to help reduce noise during the daytime.

FAA and DOT officials said at the meeting that they do not want to speculate on the reasons why pilots ask to use Runway 8L at night, stating they would rather err on the side of safety.

"The way I look at airport operations, we want to make it as safe and efficient and effective as possible," said Jim Pratt, DOT air site operations manager in Honolulu. "And if a pilot tells me that he needs to — due to either an emergency or operational necessity — use a particular runway, I'm not going to second-guess him."

Robert Rabideau, FAA air traffic manager in Hawai'i, urged the public to be patient and asked legislators to talk to the state administration about the possibly of reopening a noise compatibility study to research greater use of Runway 4R.

Pratt agreed. "The answer to this question is the political process," he said.

State Sen. Will Espero, D-20th ('Ewa Beach, Waipahu) and Rep. Kymberly Pine, R-43rd ('Ewa Beach, Iroquois Point, Pu'uloa), said they would look into the concerns and seek congressional involvement.

DOT spokesman Scott Ishikawa said on Friday that following the meeting, his agency is looking into the possibility of placing more noise-measuring monitors under the flight path.

The department also promised to better communicate with Iroquois Point community officials and others along the flight path when a shutdown of other runways for maintenance or emergency reasons require increased use of Runway 8L.

Ian Gregor, FAA Western-Pacific Region communications manager, said Friday he could not immediately provide numbers showing if the number of jumbo jets using Runway 8L has changed in recent years. However, Gregor said, the number of flights departing and arriving from Honolulu airport has dropped from 414,000 annually in 1991 to 318,000 in 2006, a substantial drop in 15 years.

Gregor also took issue with noise claims, saying that planes today are quieter than in the past.

Kiran Polk, general manager of the Iroquois Point Beach Club, said Gregor's figures don't consider how many planes are using each runway, when and the types of planes. The government should also consider the growth in the 'Ewa region. Of 1,463 rental units at the former Navy housing development, 1,090 are now rented, she said.

Not all the complaints came from Iroquois Point residents.

Brian Kumia, 47, who lives in the 'Ewa Estates subdivision, said the military planes, especially, are "too loud and too low."

Rabideau acknowledged that planes may be flying lower than they once did.

"I want them to stop flying 'Ewa Beach in the evenings," said Pine, who said she is awakened by planes rattling her Ocean Pointe home.

"They wouldn't do it over Waikiki, so why won't they do it for the people of 'Ewa Beach?" Pine said. "At the very least, they should go back to higher flight patterns."

Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com.