Advice from Teddington TAG on Heathrow consultations on future flight paths
During January to March 2019, Heathrow Airport will be conducting a consultation in 2 parts, which people need to be aware of: 1. Airspace changes for the existing two runways to allow an increase in the number of flights. Heathrow want to increase the annual throughput by 25,000 ATMs. 2. Airspace changes for a 3 runway airport. Later in the year, there will be a second consultation on Heathrow’s “preferred masterplan for Heathrow expansion. It is VERY IMPORTANT that people respond to the consultation. One thing that we can be pretty sure of is that there will be more, not less, noise; for some people, this may be very significant. For both 2 runways and 3 runways, Heathrow will be introducing PBN “Performance Based Navigation”, a form of “Satnav” which enables planes to be positioned in the sky much more precisely. This will bring about the further concentration of flight paths – to the detriment of people underneath them. TAG is very much against the concentration of flight paths as it represents an unfair and extremely unhealthy burden upon those affected.
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HEATHROW CONSULTATIONS ON FUTURE FLIGHT PATHS
6TH JANUARY 2019
During January to March 2019, Heathrow Airport will be conducting a consultation in two parts, which you need to be aware of:
- 1. Airspace changes for the existing two runways to allow an increase in the number of flights. Currently the airport is limited to 480,000 air traffic movements for arrivals and departures combined (ATMs). The thought is that Heathrow want to increase the annual throughput by 25,000 ATMs
- 2. Airspace changes for a three runway airport
Later in the year, there will be a second consultation on Heathrow’s “preferred masterplan for Heathrow expansion, including the physical infrastructure changes and how Heathrow will manage the effects of growth at the airport”.
For the two runways, the proposal is to have a system of offset approaches called “Independent Parallel Approaches” (the name is a little odd since they will be neither independent nor parallel). This effectively offsets the approaches so that both runways can be used at the same time. By offsetting the approaches outwards, more planes can be squeezed in without them coming too close together. The likelihood is that respite for the people underneath the inward flightpaths will be substantially reduced. Hopefully, more details will become available from Heathrow when the consultation starts.
It is very important that people respond to the consultation. One thing that we can be pretty sure of is that there will be more, rather than less, noise and for some people, this may be very significant.
For both two runways and three runways, Heathrow will be introducing “Performance Based Navigation”, which as we have written before, is a form of “Satnav” which enables planes to be positioned in the sky much more precisely. This is likely to bring about the further concentration of flight paths to the detriment of people underneath them.
TAG is very much against the concentration of flight paths as it represents an unfair and extremely unhealthy burden upon those affected. The Airports Commission warned that, with a third runway, respite (the defined periods of noise relief for people affected by noise from aircraft) would be significantly reduced from half of the day to one third of the day. This would be bad enough, but further concentration would make it worse. We are campaigning as hard as we can for the equitable dispersion of flight paths to share the load.
See also
Heathrow opens new consultation on airspace – including 25,000 more annual flights, by using IPA
Heathrow has opened another consultation – this on is on “Airspace & Future Operations”. It ends on 4th March. Not only is Heathrow planning for a 3rd runway, and up to 50% more flights eventually, it is also now trying to get another 25,000 flights (about 5% more). fairly soon. And it wants these extra 25,000 flights whether it gets its 3rd runway, or not. The current flight numbers cap is 480,000 per year, set after the Terminal 5 Inquiry. It is currently using about 475,000 – with the few spaces at unpopular times of the day or week. Heathrow plans to get the extra flights, added at times already very busy, by what it calls IPA – Independent Parallel Approaches, which mean planes can come in on two runways at once, at the same time. Currently if they do this, they have to be staggered, at slightly further distances apart than with IPA. Heathrow admits this will mean different flight paths, and people not currently being overflown, by narrow concentrated flight paths. Planes on IPA would join the final approach path about 8 nautical miles from the runway. It will be important that the areas to be newly negatively affected are made aware of what is going to hit them. The extra flights would also give Heathrow more income in the short term, to help it pay the immense cost of its 3rd runway plans.