Nice has the 'distinction' of being surrounded by some of the most expensive real estate in the world - places such as Villefranche, Cap D'Ail, Cap D'Antibes, not to mention Monaco. The rich
s who live there do not want noisy polluting smelly aircraft flying over them and have therefore campaigned over the years to have departure patterns changed. Even the lesser mortals who live close to the city, for example along the Promenade des Anglais, which is parallel to the sea, have complained that the noise is 'unbearable'.
A new pattern was introduced last year, I understand from friends who live there that a lot of the Nimbys are still not happy, despite the fact that many of them live off the tourists who are brought in by the aircraft, and that the old patterns are being reintroduced, which will simply upset another bunch of Nimbys.
I have recently been to Nice and it's a horribly noisy place, like most cities, and I can honestly say that aircraft noise is barely noticeable over the general cacophony of a noisy city, cars revving, car horns, people shouting, and so on, not to mention unsilenced pesky little motor scooters.