Thursday 11 March 2021

CAA - latest Night Flights Consultation

See the relevant consultation night-flight-restrictions-at-heathrow-gatwick-and-stansted-airports-between-2022-and-2024-plus-future-night-flight-policy/night-flight-restrictions

The government recognise that noise from aircraft taking-off and landing at night is often regarded by communities as the most disturbing form of airport operations. They also recognise that there is evidence, including in the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) revised Environmental Noise Guidelines for the European Region, that sleep disturbance caused by aircraft night operations can have adverse health impacts on overflown communities.

Here is Nutfield Conservation Society response to the first part of this consultation which closed on 3 March 2021 NCS Response to Night Flights Consultation (part I)

This is a two-stage consultation process which seeks views on the regime at the designated airports beyond 2022, and night flights in the national context.

Stage 1 of this consultation has 2 purposes. Firstly, the CAA are formally consulting on their proposal to maintain the existing night flight restrictions for the designated airports (Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted) from 2022 to 2024, and a proposal to ban QC4 rated aircraft movements during the night quota period (23:30 to 06:00). Responses to this section of the consultation will allow them to make a final policy decision on the regime for the designated airport beyond 2022 in summer 2021.This part of the consultation is for a period of 3 months, and closed on 3 March 2021.

Secondly, they are also seeking early views and evidence on policy options for the government’s future night flight policy at the designated airports beyond 2024, and nationally. This includes whether the national noise policy should be amended to include a specific policy for night noise, revising the CAA night flight dispensation guidance, whether criteria should be set for airport designation, and what any future night flight regime at the designated airports should look like. This second section has been extended in a separate consultation, running from 4 March to 31 May 2021, all responses received will be treated equally to those of the new consultation.