Stansted Airport announces consultation on concentrating departure routes – ends 27th November

Stansted Airport has launched a public consultation on a new take-off procedure that the airport says will “reduce aircraft noise for more than 4,000 people living near the airport.” The new performance based navigation procedure (PBN) uses GPS technology that enables aircraft to fly flight paths more accurately. [This means more concentrated, narrow flight paths – so a smaller number of people are over-flown, but they get far more planes . The effect has been, at other airports, to make the noise intolerable for a minority of people, whose health and quality of life can be adversely affected.  The airlines and the airports like the PBN system, as it can lead to fuel savings and therefore greater profits. However, this can be at the expense of those adversely affected under the newly narrowed flight routes].  Stansted says results from a trial on two of the airport’s existing departure routes showed that 85% fewer people were directly overflown by aircraft using the new procedure.  [ie. concentrated, narrow flight paths]. The airport has to consult, before submitting the changes to the CAA for approval. Stansted hopes it will not get too much negative feedback. Unless there is a considerable level of public opposition, the flight path changes will become permanent.  
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Stansted airport says:

“Together with the Stansted Airport Consultative Committee’s Environmental Issues Group, over the last two years we have conducted an airspace trial at Stansted that we feel demonstrates significant and positive improvements for the local area. The results of the trial are shared in these consultation documents and we want to hear the views from members of our local communities.”

Consultation summary

Consultation document

FAQs


 

To respond to this consultation, you can send your thoughts via email at: consultation@stanstedairport.com

Alternatively, write to:

Airspace Consultation Team
Airfield Operations
3rd Floor
Enterprise House
Stansted Airport
CM24 1QW

As part of your response, please indicate:

  • Your name and location.
  • If you are commenting on behalf of an organisation.
  • Whether or not you support adopting the technology used in the trial. 
  • Please also indicate if you do not wish your name, or any other personal details to be included in the consultation feedback report.

The consultation began on 1st September 2015 and will close on 27th November 2015. If you wish to comment on the consultation, please do so in advance of the closing date.

http://www.stanstedairport.com/community/local-environmental-impacts/performance-based-navigation/

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Stansted Airport announces plan to reduce aircraft noise – Have your say

1 September 2015
By Michael Steward (Dunmow Broadcast)

Stansted Airport has launched a public consultation on a new take-off procedure today (September 1) that will reduce aircraft noise for more than 4,000 people living near the airport.

The new performance based navigation procedure uses modern Global Positioning System (GPS) technology that enables aircraft to fly flight paths more accurately when taking off from the airport.

Results from a trial on two of the airport’s existing departure routes showed that 85% fewer people were directly overflown by aircraft using the new procedure.

The airport has been working on the initiative for two years and is now seeking views from the local community to help shape its final proposal before submission to the Civil Aviation Authority for approval.

Andrew Harrison, Stansted’s managing director, said: “We all look forward to hearing the feedback from the community about this innovative project which demonstrates significant and positive improvements for local residents around the airport.”

Keith Artus, chairman of the Environmental Issues Group from the Stansted consultive committee, said: “We feel the noise and environmental benefits from this project are considerable and urge our local communities to look at the achievements and facts provided in the consultation materials and make their responses accordingly.”

The consultation runs for 12 weeks until November 27, and more information can be found at: www.stanstedairport.com/consultation

http://www.dunmowbroadcast.co.uk/news/stansted_airport_announces_plan_to_reduce_aircraft_noise_have_your_say_1_4216433

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See earlier:

 

NATS proposes more low flying Stansted planes over north Essex & SSE will keep fighting changes to departure routes

Stop Stansted Expansion (SSE) will keep fighting planned changes to the airport’s departure flight paths. NATS first proposed changes to Stansted flight paths in June, but SSE say there must be clear and compelling benefits for local residents before any shift is implemented. NATS plans to route about 50 more outbound planes per day along a flightpath towards Clacton to avoid congestion in the skies over London. NATS received over 400 responses to its recent airspace consultation; about 82% objected to the proposed changes. NATS has now published its Feedback Report claiming that “the package of net operational and environmental benefits presents a compelling case for change”. The changes help NATS meet its targets for flight efficiency, which give more priority to cutting fuel burn and CO2 emissions than cutting noise for those overflown. The planes are unlikely to reach 7,000ft until around Kelvedon, and between 4,000 and 7,000 feet, there has to be a trade-off between cutting noise and cutting fuel burn. Hence consultation. NATS has submitted its Airspace Change Proposal to the CAA and if approved the change would come into effect in December 2015.

Click here to view full story…

Stop Stansted Expansion supports call to take part in flight path consultation, and says changes should be postponed

Stop Stansted Expansion (SSE) welcomes NATS’ call to local residents to have their say and respond to the proposed transfer of traffic on departure routes from Stansted Airport. The proposed change involves switching daytime traffic from the existing south-east (Dover) departure route to the existing east (Clacton) route (see map). The consultation closes on 8th September. Traffic on the Clacton route would double if this proposal were implemented. NATS’ own figures show 1,470 fewer people would be overflown, but 2,400 people would be overflown more intensively. NATS says that the driver for change is network performance and to avoid Heathrow traffic congestion. SSE says significant changes to Stansted’s airspace are likely to come in the next airspace review phase scheduled for 2018/19. If there is a new south east runway, that will mean significant redesign of Stansted routes in future. Therefore SSE says there must be clear and compelling benefits for local residents before any changes are implemented. They recommend that NATS’ proposed changes should be postponed until the airspace redesign planned for 2018/19.

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Plan to redirect Stansted Airport departures to reduce Heathrow congestion

Air traffic control service NATS proposes to redirect the majority of Stansted departures from an established southerly route, to an existing route to the east of the airport. “At the moment, departures from Stansted heading towards the South East are kept lower for longer when compared to the route heading east because of Heathrow arrivals.” The changes would only affect daytime departures. This is to reduce congestion above Heathrow. Arrivals are not affected. NATS has started a 12-week consultation on the proposals. Martin Peachey, noise advisor for Stop Stansted Expansion campaign group said: “We basically support the proposal because NATS say it should reduce the amount of people flown in the day and reduce CO2 emissions. It would remove day time departures for a large area to the south but it would double the amount of flights to the east so that would need to be carefully studied. …. There will be winners and losers.” The changes are part of the NATS’ London Airspace Management Programme (LAMP).

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