This paper explores concept of 'design thinking' in the context of airport noise management, to inform on strategies and actions that can achieve targeted, impactful and evaluated outcomes benefitting local residents, and by extension, airports. In so doing, the we summarise the noise management challenge and the requirement for an effective ideation and implementation framework, and introduce the design thinking process as a potential means with which to do this. We suggest that design processes have the potential to play a significant role in noise management, but that significant research is required to overcome a number of barriers, to demonstrate the potential effectiveness of the approach through case study research, and for the process itself to be developed further, ideally through co-creative processes with airport noise stakeholders
