LONDON CITY PUBLISHES RESULTS OF THE FIRST ROUND OF CONSULTATION INTO NEW FLIGHT PATHS
7/11/19
CAA has approved stage1 of the redesign of London City's flightpaths. City will now draw up long-list of options for spring 2020; then a short-list for public consultation in 2021. Likely to include a respite option. Changes will happen with or without expansion https://airspacechange.caa.co.uk/PublicProposalArea?pID=131
The flight paths consultations are separate to the consultation on expansion. The airport had focused this first, non-statutory consultation on organisations (including HACAN East) although individuals were free to respond. It was about the design principles which should be used to draw up the new flight paths. London City has been asked to do this as part of the significant flight path changes that will take place at all airports in London and the SE over the coming years. It is a chance for London City to ditch its unpopular concentrated flight paths it introduced in 2016. All respondents agreed safety must always be the top consideration but after that came noise. Although there were a range of opinions most people wanted to see the new flight paths designed in such a way that planes would be higher, that respite would be provided and that communities shouldn’t be overflown by multiple routes (including those from other airports). London City will now work up more detailed proposals which will go out to full public consultation in 2021.
AS EXPANSION CONSULTATION CLOSES Record Number of Local Authorities Oppose London City’s Expansion Proposals
19/10/19
The London City consultation closed yesterday. A record number of local authorities have objected to the expansion proposals in London City’s Master Plan. Tower Hamlets, Newham, Hackney, Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Havering, Southwark, Greenwich and Lewisham have objected. Never before has London City faced this level of opposition. The London Assembly’s Environment Committee and London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan have also objected. We have not heard from Barking and Dagenham but we believe they are the only council supporting the proposals. Bexley and the City of London gave qualified support.
Here is a the full objection letter from Sadiq Khan - it is devastating in its criticism: https://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Robert-Sinclair.pdf
Equally devastating one from Newham Council: https://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/LCY-Draft-Master-Plan-Consultation-Response-Letter_19.0226.PPPA_18.10.20....pdf
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
The airport is now looking at the responses and says it is still on course to produce a final Master Plan before the end of the year but we expect it could be pushed into early 2020.
At this stage we don’t know how many responses the airport has had or what the respondents have said. London City will publish this information in due course.
If London City decides it wants to proceed with any of the expansion proposals, it will need to submit a detailed planning application to Newham Council, the planning authority. We understand it is looking to do so in spring 2020. If Newham refuses the application, the airport can appeal in which case there would be a Public Inquiry with the final decision taken by the Secretary of State for Transport.
OUR CAMPAIGN CONTINUES:
GETTING INVOLVED LOCALLY
If you are interested in campaigning in your local area email johnstewart2@btconnect.com
NEW VIDEO! CROWDED SKIES
A video we have released showing not only what it is like to live at with London City - and Heathrow - planes flying overhead but also what possible solutions might look like: https://youtu.be/KAnKUlxg7EY
PETITION AGAINST EXPANSION
HACAN East has launched a change.org petition opposing London City's expansion proposals, including the proposals to almost double flight numbers from current levels. Be amongst the first to sign: http://chng.it/X6gss942
LONDON CITY: the litTLE AIRPORT WITH THE BIG NOISE FOOTPRINT
MORE PEOPLE ARE BLIGHTED BY NOISE FROM LONDON CITY THAN FROM MAJOR EUROPEAN AIRPORTS
Because of the densely-populated areas London City planes fly over, it impacts more people than any UK airport bar Heathrow & Manchester despite being only the 14th busiest UK airport. Astonishingly more people are blighted by noise from City Airport than from major airports like Schiphol, Brussels, Madrid or Munich.
HAVERING THE LATEST COUNCIL TO OPPOSE CITY’S EXPANSION PROPOSALS
11/10/19
The London Borough of Havering has become the latest local authority to come out against the expansion proposals in London City Airport’s Master Plan. Here’s the leader of Havering explaining why: https://youtu.be/aH_bQCJo4Mo
EXTINCTION REBELLION PROTESTS PUT CITY’S EXPANSION PROPOSALS ON INTERNATIONAL MAP
11/10/19
Yesterday’s protest by Extinction Rebellion at London City put the airport’s expansion proposals on the map as the dramatic scenes of people glued onto the floor and climbing on planes gained international publicity. The airport will be in the spotlight in a way its management never thought it would be as it decides what do do about its expansion proposals after the consultation on its draft Master Plan closes on 18th October.
HACAN EAST PUBLISHES ITS RESPONSE TO EXPANSION CONSULTATION
27/9/19
HACAN East has published its response to London City Airport’s draft Master Plan: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn%3Aaaid%3Ascds%3AUS%3Abf394c73-1e25-4e51-9aa3-abb4f0e8c473 The consultation ends on 18th October.
London City wants to:
Almost double the number of flights from their current level. At present there are around 80,000 flights a year. There is an annual cap of 111,000. London City wants that lifted to 151,000.
Get rid of the 24 hour weekend break. Currently no flights are permitted between 12.30pm on Saturday and 12.30pm on Sunday.
Bring in more early morning and late night flights. But the night flight ban would remain.
London City would need to go to a Planning Inquiry to get permission for any proposals it intends to take forward. But first it would need to publish a final Master Plan, probably in early 2020.
London City put a lot of emphasis on quieter planes. Our response spells out the reality behind the headline claims and concludes: ‘Quieter’ planes are not the panacea that London City has tended to imply they will be. They are not a get out-of-jail card. And they cannot be used to justify the expansion proposals.
Scroll down for details of a petition against expansion plus news of the vibrant campaign which is developing against them including opposition from councils and passionate public meetings
COMMITTEE ON CLIMATE CHANGE: GROWTH NEEDS TO ALMOST HALVE IF AVIATION TO MEET CLIMATE TARGETS BY 2050
24/9/19
The Committee on Climate Change(CCC), the Government’s official advisers, has said in a report out today that growth at UK airports needs to be almost half the predicted levels if aviation is to meet the government’s target of aviation being net-zero carbon by 2050.
The CCC, chaired by former Conservation minister Lord Deben, said, “In the absence of a true zero-carbon plane, demand cannot continue to grow unfettered over the long-term. Our scenario reflects a 25% growth in demand by 2050 compared to 2018 levels. This compares to current Government projections which are for up to a 49% increase in demand over the same period.”
It says that, if the growth currently planned for London’s airports went ahead, that would leave ‘at most very limited room for growth at non-London airports’.
The report explained, “The Government should assess its airport capacity strategy in the context of net zero. Specifically, investments will need to be demonstrated to make economic sense in a net-zero world and the transition towards it. Current planned additional airport capacity in London, including the third runway at Heathrow, is likely to leave at most very limited room for growth at non-London airports”.
The CCC suggests a number of measures to manage demand, including a Frequent Flyers Levy. The Government has postponed the publication of its Aviation White Paper, originally due at the end of this year, to early 2020 to allow it time to assess the implications of the CCC report.
THREE KEY COUNCIL COME OUT AGAINST LONDON CITY’S EXPANSION PROPOSALS
21/09/19
This week three key local authorities have formally come out against London City’s expansion proposals. Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest and Redbridge councils have all signalled their opposition.
You can read what Redbridge said: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn%3Aaaid%3Ascds%3AUS%3A6f9f247d-cc24-451b-a292-f4cc279d0825
And Waltham Forest: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Mteg3RVXPTBajlUVw4iKPNDyMzWQWd5I/view
Above is the motion agreed by Tower Hamlets:
WHAT WILL THE NOISE CLIMATE BE LIKE IF LONDON CITY EXPANDS?
Read our two page briefing: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn%3Aaaid%3Ascds%3AUS%3A67cd2e1b-2fa3-46d7-8a70-38ac143696b3
LONDON CITY TO EXTEND CONSULTATION
7th September 2019
In a sign of the pressure it has been under, London City has extended the current consultation into the expansion proposals in its draft Master Plan by a month to 18th October. And, in an not-too-subtle response to the Mayor of Newham who had said the consultation was 'flawed' & lacked detail, City has put more detailed papers on its website. It has been under pressure that the consultation lacked detail - in particular detail at how they arrived at some of their facts and figures. It has now put a number of these documents on their website covering key areas such as noise, climate, air pollution, forecast demand, jobs and the economy and surface access.
Here is the HACAN East summary to the key ones: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn%3Aaaid%3Ascds%3AUS%3Accee896a-ec59-40f1-a3d6-5887c51a75d2
And a slightly longer assessment of the documents on noise https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn%3Aaaid%3Ascds%3AUS%3A67cd2e1b-2fa3-46d7-8a70-38ac143696b3 and climate change https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn%3Aaaid%3Ascds%3AUS%3Aa5317a56-4aec-4367-aa52-027afc36cd97
London City expects to publish its final Master Plan, together with the responses to this consultation, towards the end of the year. If it decides to take any of its expansion proposals forward, it will need to submit a detailed planning application to Newham Council, the planning authority.
THE EXPANSION PROPOSALS
The proposals are contained in London City’s draft Master Plan out for consultation until September 20th. The airports wants to:
Almost double the number of flights from their current level. At present there are around 80,000 flights a year. There is an annual cap of 111,000. London City wants that lifted to 151,000.
Get rid of the 24 hour weekend break. Currently no flights are permitted between 12.30pm on Saturday and 12.30pm on Sunday.
Bring in more early morning and late night flights. But the night flight ban would remain.
London City would need to go to a Planning Inquiry to get permission for any proposals it intends to take forward. But first it would need to publish a final Master Plan, probably in early 2020.
Scroll down to read about the vibrant campaign building up against the proposals
THE PROPOSALS IN MORE DETAIL:
Summary in HACAN East Newsletter: https://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/HACAN-East-newsletter-July-2019.pdf
We have produced a 3 page briefing to help you with your response: https://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/London-City-Master-Plan-Briefing-July-2019-1.pdf
We have also put together a look at why London City is wanting this expansion, plus an assessment of their new strategy and whether it will succeed: https://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/London-City-Airport-Master-Plan-article-revised.pdf
Read London City Press Release
For full details of the consultation: https://www.londoncityairport.com/corporate/consultation
The full consultation document: https://assets.ctfassets.net/ggj4kbqgcch2/2mPk96XvzYbi3gJiSB6kbQ/8348be50e732fb0aa1daba2fb18b9516/p01-85_LCY_MP_Final_Reduced.pdf
Read our blog on the topic: http://www.hacaneast.org.uk/blog
“You could be an aviation enthusiast, a frequent flyer or a climate denier and still be critical of London City’s Master Plan published yesterday. How can an airport in this day and age propose to double flight numbers, remove weekend respite, increase early morning and late evening flights and offer the communities impacted nothing in return?……….”
Tell London City what you think: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn%3Aaaid%3Ascds%3AUS%3A58b248a7-f232-4530-9b91-b26bab7ddf89
We're having experts check them but we advising people to avoid answering London City's questions in its Master Plan consultation as many, like the one below, are leading people to an answer. Better to email your views to consultation@londoncityairport.com or use our postcards.
OUR MARKET RESEARCHER’S VIEW
When we asked a market research expert to comment on the questions in London City Airport's current consultation on its proposed expansion proposals, this is what she told us......
LONDON CITY AIRPORT ADMITS DOESN’T KNOW CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT OF PROPOSED EXPANSION PLANS
1st September 2019
London City Airport has admitted that it does not know the impact on climate change emissions of the expansion proposals outlined in its draft Master Plan currently out for consultation The information is buried in one of the more documents the airport issued last Friday (see story below).
It says: “It is not possible at this time to calculate total emissions which might arise from the draft Master Plan.” More on this story in our press release section
Breaking: 15th August 2019:
NEWHAM MAYOR CALLS ON LONDON CITY TO HALT EXPANSION CONSULTATION
Campaigners have welcomed today’s call by Newham Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz for London City to halt its consultation on expanding the airport until it provides more detail on how it plans to tackle noise and climate emissions.In a letter to City Airport chief executive Robert Sinclair the mayor called the consultation “fundmentally flawed.”
“The significance of this move by the mayor cannot be overstated. Newham is the planning authority for the airport. This letter throws down the gauntlet to the airport to come up with a Master Plan that works for residents and for the climate.”
Read the HACAN East press release: press release
LEAKED REPORT UNDERMINES LONDON CITY'S CLAIMS THAT NEW GENERATION OF AIRCRAFT WILL BE A LOT QUIETER
27th August 2019
London City has put a lot of store in promoting its current expansion proposals on its claims that new planes will be up to 14 decibels quieter. Not so says a report airport itself commissioned which has been leaked to HACAN East. The A220-100, the only new plane flying, is just 3 decibels quieter over South London.
Read the report: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn%3Aaaid%3Ascds%3AUS%3A15b51eb7-0f32-4d3c-9317-c01ea1fae5c1.
Read our press release: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn%3Aaaid%3Ascds%3AUS%3A3a311ceb-3bc0-4bb4-946c-b91ee2881089
HACAN EAST LAUNCHES MAJOR CAMPAIGN AGAINST EXPANSION
30th July 2019
CAROLINE RUSSELL, GREEN LONDON ASSEMBLY MEMBER, AND CAMPAIGNER ALAN HAUGHTON AT THE CAMPAIGN’S LAUNCH
HACAN East today launched a major postcard and poster campaign against the expansion proposals contained in London City’s Master Plan currently out for consultation. Thousands of postcards will be distributed to household impacted by the airport over the next month.
People who object to the proposals are being asked to fill in a postcard and send it back to the airport via FREEPOST
You can find the postcards here: http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/HACANeast-Cut-n-Post-BTB-A4-Print-Colour-2-3.pdf and here https://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/HACANeast-BTB-Postcard-Final-4.pdf
And black and white versions: http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/HACANeast-Cut-n-Post-BTB-A4-Print-B_W-2.pdf
http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/HACANeast-Postcard-BTB-A4-Print-B_W-1-3.pdf
And you can download and display posters: https://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Poster-Draft-2-1-Colour-3.pdf
Black and white posters: https://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Poster-Draft-2-1-B_W-2.pdf
We will be looking for help from people to deliver the postcards. If you can help email johnstewart2@btconnect.com
The postcards call on residents to back the existing 24 hour weekend ban on aircraft using London City. It wants the airport drop its proposals to end the 24 hour break as well as its plans to almost double flight numbers from today’s levels and to increase flights in the early morning and late evening.
The postcard campaign will be backed up by posters, public meetings, adverts and eye-catching events to get across to people the scale of the airport’s plans.
PUBLIC MEETING IN WANSTEAD
JUST SOME OF THE AUDIENCE AT A PACKED MEETING IN WANSTEAD ON 3RD OCTOBER ORGANISED BY REDBRIDGE COUNCIL WHERE LONDON CITY AIRPORT WAS GIVEN A VERY HARD TIME OVER THE EXPANSION PROPOSALS IN ITS DRAFT MASTER PLAN.
PUBLIC MEETINGS IN LEYTONSTONE AND THE OVAL
ORGANISED NY DEPUTY LEADER WALTHAM FOREST COUNCIL CLYDE LOAKES A LOT OF CONCERN ABOUT CITY’S EXPANSION PROPOSALS FROM A COMMUNITY HEAVILY OVERFLOWN BY BOTH CITY AND HEATHROW PLANES
A MEETING ABOUT BOTH LONDON CITY AND HEATHROW EXPANSION PROPOSALS IN THE ST MARK’S CHURCH AT THE OVAL. GLA MEMBERS CAROLINE RUSSELL AND FLORENCE ESCHALOMI AMONGST THE SPEAKERS
PUBLIC MEETING IN BELVEDERE
A lot of concern in Belvedere, already disturbed by City aircraft, about the proposal to almost double flight numbers
PUBLIC MEETING IN LEYTON/LEYTONSTONE
A packed meeting organised by the Cann Hall Residents Association on 30th July 2019 gave London City Airport a tough time over its expansion planes. HACAN East and local MP John Ctyer were the other speakers.
PUBLIC MEETING IN CATFORD
LOCAL MP JANET DABY ORGANISED A MEETING IN CATFORD ON 26TH JULY . LONDON CITY, HEATHROW AND NATS PRESENTING. MUCH CONCERN FROM A PACKED ROOM ABOUT NOISE AND A DESIRE FOR THE TWO AIRPORTS TO COLLABORATE TO PROVIDE PERIODS OF RESPITE.
RESIDENTS DISMAYED BY LONDON CITY EXPANSION PLANS TO DOUBLE FLIGHT NUMBERS
28th June 2019
Residents are dismayed by the London City expansion revealed in its Master Plan published today. The airport wants to lift the current cap of 111,000 flights allowed each year to 137,000 by 2030 and to 151,000 by 2035. Last year there were just over 75,000 flights.
The airport also wants to get rid of the ban on flights between 12.30pm Saturday and 12,30pm on Sunday. Additionally it is proposing that more flights are allowed to operate in the early morning and late evening.
John Stewart, chair of HACAN East, which gives a voice to residents under the airport’s flight paths, said, “For all its green talk, this plan would be disastrous for residents. Flight numbers could double from today’s levels. And, to rub in the pain, the airport is looking to ease the restrictions at weekends and in the early morning and late evening.”
The consultation ruins from 28th June to 20th September.
London City would need to go to a Planning Inquiry to get permission for any proposals it intends to take forward.
Figures released by campaign group HACAN East reveal that, although London City is only the 14th busiest airport in the UK, it comes in the top three for impact. It affects 74,000 people, more than any airport in the country except Heathrow and Manchester (1). And that is just those people living within the EU-defined noise contour.
Figures published by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) late last year show that 747,300 people are impacted by City planes flying below 4,000ft (2).
HACAN East has produced a montage of photographs showing places, some of them many miles from the airport, where aircraft are lower than 3,000ft; and in many places less than 2,000ft.
HACAN East Chair John Stewart said, “We all know how very noisy it is to live close to the airport in places like Thamesmead and the Royal Docks but the size of the airport can often mask the extent of its noise footprint. It extends many, many miles from the airport.”
(2),http://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP1692C_ModuleC_FinalV3(P_LINKS).pdf
INCREASE IN FLIGHT NUMBERS BIG CONCERN FOR LONDON CITY RESIDENTS
Yesterday (27/3/19) the Civil Aviation Authority published its survey of people's concerns about aircraft noise. Of 4,000 national responses, 10% were from London City. Top 3 London City concerns: aircraft numbers increasing, flights early in the morning & planes flying low http://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP1748%20-%20CAA%20Noise%20Impact%20Survey.pdf … … …
LONDON CITY LAUNCHES PART ONE OF ITS NEW FLIGHT PATHS CONSULTATION
June 2019
London City has also start to consult on its flight paths consultation. You’ll recall that it has been asked again to look at its concentrated flight paths so that its flight paths tie in with the flight paths that are being changed at all airports in London and the South East. The main public consultation will not be until 2021 when we will be asked for our opinions flight path options. The current consultation, which closes on 25th August, is asking for views on how the flight paths should be designed – for example, should providing respite be the priority or is more important to keep the flight paths concentrated to overfly the smallest number of people. This part of the consultation is aimed at organizations, although individuals are free to respond. For more details:
Read HACAN East response: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn%3Aaaid%3Ascds%3AUS%3A9a8a8534-7762-4415-adbf-31aac78c91a2
IS LONDON CITY SOFTENING US UP FOR FURTHER EXPANSION?
23rd April 2019
London City Airport is up to something. The quirky story in last week’s Evening Standard is part of its new approach. The paper reported that the airport is planning to create a “chilled” atmosphere, featuring “muted colours, less background noise and better directions” as part of the £500 million redesign of its terminal which is due to be completed by 2022. The airport hopes that better the interior design will boost mental wellbeing of passengers
This is all very admirable but begs the question why London City is doing it. I suspect it is part of a charm offensive before it unveils proposals for a further expansion of the airport. This summer London City will publish its Master Plan where it will set out its ‘vision’ for the future. This is expected to include an option to lift the current cap on the number of flights permitted to use the airport each year.
Read our full blog here: http://www.hacaneast.org.uk/blog
‘AVIATION 2050: THE FUTURE OF UK AVIATION’
On December 17th the Government published its Green Paper with proposals for its new aviation strategy which it will finalise and release in the second half of 2019. It is an important document. It sets out proposals for UK aviation policy until 2050.
The consultation will end on 22nd June 2019
Link to the full paper: https://aviationstrategy.campaign.gov.uk
Link to HACAN East response: http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Aviation-Green-Paper-HACAN-East-response.pdf
There’s also a NATS paper on the new type of flight paths being introduced: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/763085/nats-caa-feasibility-airspace-modernisation.pdf
And a CAA paper on past and future noise levels:
In summary:
The Green Paper sets out to cater for the significant growth in flying it predicts will take place in the UK and around the world.
It argues that this growth can take place without exceeding the UK’s aviation climate targets.
It assumes a third runway will be built at Heathrow
It contains some welcome noise proposals that campaigners have been lobbying for over many years.
It lays describes the implications of the move from ground-based technology to satellite technology when designing flight paths
It sets out measures to improve and monitor air pollution from aircraft
Read more in the 3 page summary our sister organisation HACAN has put together: http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Green-Paper-summary-four.pdf
TOP NEWS: LONDON CITY TO LOOK AGAIN AT ITS CONCENTRATED FLIGHT PATHS
London City Airport is to look again at its controversial concentrated flight paths. It told its Consultative Committee yesterday (7/3/19) that it will consult on new proposals later this year. This will be a wide-ranging consultation conducted under the new rules laid down by the Civil Aviation Authority.
The airport will need to consult people on how they want the flight paths designed - for example, do they want pure concentration as now or do they want multiple flight paths which can be rotated in order to give communities a break from the noise.
When London City concentrated its flight paths in 2016, the airport saw a fourfold increase in complaints. While some people did not get planes anymore, the communities over which they were concentrated felt the pain.
HACAN EAST RESPONSE TO HEATHROW AIRSPACE CONSULTATION
Here is the link to our response to the current Heathrow consultation on airspace change. Feel free to make use of it in your own response. Closing date 4th March: http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Heathrow-Consultation-response-from-HACAN-East.pdf
LONDON ASSEMBLY REPORT CALLS FOR END OF LONDON CITY CONCENTRATED FLIGHT PATHS
A clear call from the London Assembly in its report on London's airports, out yesterday, for City to get rid of its concentrated flight paths and to work with Heathrow to tackle the problem of areas being overflown by flights from both airports resulting in at times 50 planes an hour https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/aircraft_noise_final.pdf
HEATHROW CONSULTATION: IMPACT ON EAST AND NORTH EAST LONDON
21st January 2019
Heathrow is consulting on the biggest changes to its flight paths since the airport opened in 1946. The consultation ends on 4th March.
It could bring benefit to East and NE London. For the first time they could get a daily break from the aircraft.
At present many areas are overflown all day long by Heathrow planes. That could change.
A lot of places also get overflown by London City aircraft. They are not subject to this consultation but some of the changes proposed for the Heathrow planes could ease the burden on these areas.
Read more here in our special briefing: http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/HACAN-East-Heathrow-Consultation-East-London.pdf
MAJOR HEATHROW CONSULTATION LAUNCHED TODAY
8th January 2019
Heathrow Airport launched a major public consultation today. It runs for 12 weeks until 4th March.
Key Points:
Runway alternation in West London will be cut from half a day to a third of the day to allow for alternation on a third runway if it is built. The consultation is asking for views on how this should be implemented.
Significant changes to airspace are proposed to allow for vast swathes of London and the Home Counties, which currently get all-day flying, to get respite from the noise for the first time. It applies to both arrivals and departures.
The night period when there are no scheduled flights allowed will be extended from 5 hours to six and a half hours. Views are sought on how this should operate.
Views are sought on whether ‘westerly operation’ should remain – this is where planes continue to fly as if a west wind is blowing when there is an east wind (of up to 5 knots)
Heathrow is proposing to bring in 25,000 extra flights a year in the years running up to the opening of any third runway.
The full Heathrow document is here: http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Heathrow-Airspace-and-Future-Operations-Consultation-document-Final-low-res.pdf
HEATHROW PLANS ‘NEAR REVOLUTION’ IN ITS FLIGHT PATHS
EAST AND SOUTH EAST LONDON COULD BE THE BIG WINNERS
East and South East London could be the big winners in the proposed changes to its flights paths Heathrow announced today. Many of these areas look set to enjoy a daily predicable period of respite from the noise for the first time.
John Stewart, chair of the campaign group HACAN, said, “The proof will be in what happens in practice and it is still some years away but it looks as if all-day flying could become a thing of the past for very many people. Heathrow are planning a near revolution in their flight paths. They plan to rotate their new flight paths in order to give people some relief from the noise.”
The proposals are part of a wide-ranging 12 week public consultation which Heathrow launched today (1). Under the proposals people in West London, who currently enjoy a half day’s break from the noise when planes switch runways at 3pm, will find that cut to one third of the day if a third runway is built. But all-day flying will become a thing of the past for many places as the principle of respite is extended to people living under departures routes and areas such as Windsor and South East London which at present do not get it (2).
The consultation also asks for views on night flights. One condition Parliament laid down when it gave Heathrow the go-ahead to work up proposals for a third runway is that the current 5 hour night break is extended to 6½ hours. Heathrow is asking for views on how this should be implemented.
Heathrow is also proposing to bring in 25,000 more flights a year before any new runway opens. The plan is called Independent Parallel Approaches (IPA). It would require the lifting of the 480,000 annual cap on flights which was imposed as a condition of Terminal 5.
Heathrow will only ask for these flights until the third runway is operational. They would only start once Heathrow’s detailed plans for a third runway had been approved – expected to be 2021. Heathrow aims to open a third runway in 2015 so it is likely IPA would be in place for about 4 years.
ENDS
Notes for Editors:
(1). Full Heathrow document: http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Heathrow-Airspace-and-Future-Operations-Consultation-document-Final-low-res.pdf
(2). See page 23 of the document