Noise News
Below are links to stories about noise in relation to airports and aviation.
CAA consultation launched (ends 15th June) on the process of airspace change
The CAA has launched it long awaited consultation on the process of airspace change. One of the reasons has been the unprecedented level of opposition, anger, frustration (and in some cases despair) caused by the unsatisfactory manner in which flight path changes have been introduced in recent years. The CAA, NATS and the airports have lost what confidence the public had in them before, due to their inabilities to communicate properly with those suffering from aircraft noise problems. The CAA says: "While not everyone will agree with every potential decision on how we develop the infrastructure of our airspace, the methods used to reach those decisions need to be well understood and accepted. One of our aims is to restore confidence in the process where it is currently lacking." The CAA says one of the ways to make their processes more transparent and publicly accessible is: "an online portal to provide a single access point for anyone to view, comment on and access documents for every UK airspace change proposal." However, many important and relevant areas are outside the consultation, such as Government policy, which the CAA’s process must follow, and "changes to flight paths which result from decisions made by air traffic control providers and outside the CAA’s control". The full document is 140 pages in length, and will take time for those who plan to respond to fully understand.
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HACAN East starts crowdfunding appeal for campaign to fight altered London City Airport flight paths
Local resident-led group HACAN East has launched a crowdfunding campaign to fight the new, concentrated flight paths for planes to and from London City Airport. HACAN East is seeking to raise £25,000, in order to campaign to reverse these changes - which they describe as Noise Ghettos - within 12 months, when the CAA will review airspace changes. In February, new concentrated flight paths began operating over many parts of east & south-east London, leaving parts of many boroughs with levels of aircraft noise not previously experienced. HACAN East know that taking on the might of the aviation industry is not easy. It is only by the local community coming together that residents can win, to get the flight paths changed - and the noise reduced. People in the noise affected areas feel these "noise ghettos" are completely unacceptable. City Airport did not consult residents about the flight path changes. The levels of aircraft noise and pollution have increased to unacceptable levels - reducing people's quality of life. At busy time of the day, planes can be coming over one every minute or so. They also suffer from Heathrow flights. Crowdfunding details here,if you are able to help.
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Report for Heathrow shows the Compton route is indeed being flown differently and more noisily than before
People complaining about Heathrow flights on the Compton route have been adamant there have been changes, planes are over different areas and they are lower. Heathrow has said, month after month, that these people are mistaken. Now research carried out by consultants have shown there are indeed changes. The report says there has been an increase in traffic from 2007 to 2015 – from 65 flights per day to 89 per day. There has been an increase in the proportion of flights using the northern edge of the departure route rather than across the 3km swathe. There has been an increase in the number of heavy aircraft (e.g. 747s and A340s) using the Compton route, and many are now going to ultra-long-haul destinations, so are very heavy with fuel; these planes are now lower over areas near the airport - and therefore noisier. The consultants say the Compton route was designed before huge planes like the A380, which has difficulty flying it. Though Heathrow is meant to fine aircraft that do not stick to the NPR, this has not been happening. The planes cannot stick to the route - but are still using it as if they could. A very unsatisfactory situation. Heathrow says it will be working with NATS and members of the Heathrow Community Noise Forum this year to "revisit the procedures used on the Compton route."
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Heartfelt blog about the likelihood of increased depression and mental health impacts of relentless aircraft noise exposure
Many people have found the burden of aircraft noise, to which they have been recently and unexpectedly exposed, to be highly stressful. The stress is made worse by the apparent absence of any means to reduce or put an end to the problem. In a recent blog, someone who suffers both from depression and exposure to intense aircraft noise, has set out the necessity of taking mental health seriously. The blog says the effect of the relatively new phenomenon of concentrated flight paths appears to be worryingly under-researched. It is not know what levels of noise are safe. Research suggests that existing sufferers of mental illness are generally more sensitive to noise than others. The impact of narrow, concentrated flight paths overhead, with a plane as often as every 60 - 90 seconds can have particularly negative impacts on these people. Some research suggests higher rates of depression. For those with clinically recognised depression, the feeling that those who manage airspace will not act to reduce the problem, and will not take their complaints and pleas for change seriously, only exacerbate the mental anguish. The writer asks that mental health impacts are given much more attention. Intense exposure to aircraft noise - with no realistic prospect of it being improved - may come at high cost to vulnerable groups in society.
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Airport noise community groups write to David Cameron calling for review of airspace policy
In an open letter to David Cameron, which was co-ordinated through the Aviation Environment Federation (AEF), community groups concerned about the impacts of flight path changes have called on the Government to bring forward a review, both of airspace policy and the process for consultation and engagement. The letter describes the current approach for making airspace changes as “not fit for purpose” and demands that a moratorium on flight path trials and airspace decisions is introduced until a new policy is put in place. Flight path trials over the last few years have led to significant community disturbance around major airports across the UK, especially where communities have been overflown for the first time. In many cases, flight path trials were cancelled early following vociferous reactions from the public. The Government and the CAA were expected to consult on proposals to change the policy and process for making changes to flight paths early this year. However, this has been delayed until at least the summer, when the Government will make a statement on a possible new runway. The letter’s 24 signatories stress that the airspace policy review is required urgently to address existing problems and should be independent of any future decisions on airport capacity.
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Belfast residents claim planned airport expansion would make it one of 5 loudest in UK
George Best Belfast City Airport could become one of the UK's five noisiest if controversial expansion plans to allow the airport to have more than 2 million passengers per year are allowed. Dr Liz Fawcett, of Belfast City Airport Watch (BCAW), gave evidence to the Regional Development Committee at Stormont, saying that some 18,000 people could be affected by noise if the expansion goes ahead. She called for an independent regulator to be set up, to strike a better balance between commercial interests and nearby residents' well-being. They also want robust fines for airlines. Recently the Planning Appeals Committee recommended that the 2 million limit should be lifted – provided that other noise control measures are put in place. More than 50,000 people across Belfast and north Down are affected by undesirably high levels of aircraft noise. That number is higher than at Gatwick or at Stansted. Dr Fawcett said if the airport is allowed its expansion, it could become one of the five noisiest in the UK in terms of population impact. It would also just mean the transfer of passengers and jobs from Belfast International airport. BCAW also wants airport planning agreements to be properly implemented and enforced. The airport continues to press for the greater number of passengers.
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Edinburgh airport declares its (fiercely opposed) TUTUR flight path trial a “technical success”
Edinburgh Airport, owned by GIP, ran the deeply unpopular flight TUTUR path trial in mid 2015. The aim was to get aircraft off the tarmac every minute at peak times – such as early morning – rather than every two minutes as is currently the case. And that would help increase the value of the airport, for GIP. Due to intense opposition and thousands of complaints about noise, it was ended two months early. Scottish journalist, Gina Davidson, has written about the problems. Edinburgh airport says it wants to be a good neighbour, but dismissed the mass of complaints about TUTUR as being from a ‘relatively small number of people, living in pockets of West Lothian.’ Unsurprising the airport announced this week that the trial had been a “technical success”.For overflown communities, such as Broxburn, Uphall, Linlithgow, and Blackness, it was not a success. And many of them are sure that even now, planes have not reverted to the old routes - but are still over-flying their homes. Edinburgh airport knows it will have a battle on its hands should it decide to attempt to make the TUTUR route permanent. There is now also a petition about noise in Cramond and Barnton, which are also facing more take-offs over them, in some wind conditions. Opposition is getting organised.
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Holland-Kaye still not prepared to accept ban on night flights before 6am, even to get 3rd runway
Heathrow's CEO, John Holland-Kaye, says the airport has yet to "engage" with the government and airlines about the possibility of ending night flights, before making any commitment. A ban on flights before 6am was one of the conditions the Airports Commission stipulated - in July - must be met for a 3rd runway to be built at Heathrow. But 7 months after the publication of the commission's report, Heathrow is still avoiding giving any confirmation it is prepared to accept that requirement. In December the government announced there would be a further delay in making a runway location decision, which cam as an unpleasant surprise to Heathrow - which had presumed it would be given the nod, but with a range of conditions. Holland-Kaye has tried to avoid any condition on his hoped-for runway, that might be irksome or costly. He continues to make bullish statements about how likely he feels the runway will be approved. He tries to make out that there would be fewer night flights with a 3rd runway.... and he is yet to "engage" with the government on the subject. Heathrow, in its PR, mistakes local support for a 3rd runway by people employed by the airport, or hoping to work there - for (quite different) support more widely among those not depending on Heathrow for their income.
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Belfast City Airport campaigners call for independent airport noise regulator to look after interests of residents
Because of its geographical location, the noise created by Belfast City Airport flights affects a large number of people in the city. The local campaign, Belfast City Airport Watch (BCAW) is an umbrella group representing more than a dozen local community organisations, and works to limit the noise they suffer. BCAW's Dr Liz Fawcett told committee members the establishment that the creation of a powerful independent airport noise regulator in Northern Ireland would help strike a better balance between commercial interests and nearby residents' well-being. It should ensure conformity with existing noise control measures. The airport is currently capped at 2 million passengers per year, but wants to increase this number - which would mean a considerable increase in the noise. BCAW say if the 2 million cap was raised, it could turn the airport into one of the noisiest in the UK. They want an independent noise regulator to deal effectively with public complaints and produce "meaningful" 5-year action plans aimed at minimising aircraft noise. They also want a wider airports strategy for Northern Ireland, considering how routes are shared between the two Belfast airports, to complement Dublin airport, without duplication of routes.
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Professor Stansfeld on how noise pollution, including aircraft noise, can damage health
Stephen Stansfeld is a Professor of Psychiatry at Queen Mary University of London, who has done a lot of work the health impacts of noise, including aircraft noise. He comments that as well as physical (cardiovascular) illness, there can be significant emotional response to noise pollution, including negative feelings noise can create such as disturbance, irritation, dissatisfaction and nuisance, as well as a feeling of having one’s privacy invaded. But annoyance can vary widely between different people. Noise can have different impacts depending on how much it interferes with your activities, the fear you feel associated with the source of the noise, your coping mechanisms and even your belief about whether the noise is preventable. "For example, you’re likely to feel more annoyance to aircraft flying overhead if you feel the airport is taking no measures to regulate the noise." He also says that the evidence suggests mental ill-health may increase the risk of annoyance by noise - rather than the other way round. Sleep disturbance from noise may have more effect on the elderly, children, those who work shifts or have poor health. He suggests - if screening or masking is not possible - we could design our society "to be less noisy in the first place."