Category: Information Library

Third Runway Related Reports and Briefings

These briefings were written over the last few years. Some of have aged a little but we have left them up as the question of a 3rd runway is not yet settled.

What a 3rd runway will cost the taxpayer: http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Briefing-What-a-third-runway-at-Heathrow-will-cost-the-taxpayer.pdf (pdf)

Just how many new destinations will a 3rd runway serve? http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Briefing-Just-how-much-new-connectivity-will-a-third-runway-at-Heathrow-really-provide.pdf (pdf)

Will a 3rd runway ever be built or will we just waste another 10 years?  http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Briefing-Another-10-wasted-years.pdf (pdf)

Can a three runway Heathrow, with 700 more planes a day, be quieter than the airport is today?  Check out the HACAN blog: http://hacan.org.uk/blog/?p=542

Why a 3rd runway is undeliverable

7 easy-to-read briefing sheets spelling out the 7 reasons why a 3rd runway cannot be delivered

7 pages Briefing sheets

READ: 20 Things To Know About A 3rd Runway

Download our Briefings in PDF format: Third Runway timeline, Third Runway at Heathrow FAQ

Our Flickr page has great photos of pictures of campaigning  events – check it out to see the range of protests that have been taking place 

Major new departures report from the CAA, plus HACAN’s assessment of it

Major new departures report from CAA

27th July 2018

The Civil Aviation Authority published a major report on 27th July into departures from Heathrow Airport.  It was largely done in response to complaints from local people than aircraft have become louder and lower.

Key findings:

  • ‘A gradual decrease in average aircraft heights over recent years’ but ‘lower heights have not lead to overall noise increases’ because most planes have become quieter.
  • The take-off procedures can vary from airport to airport but the noise on the ground from aircraft departing Heathrow differs little from that at comparable airports
  • The rate of climb of the A380s is much the same as at other airports.
  • If planes use a steeper departure procedure a). they reduce the noise for people right under the flight path but increase for those to the side but b) they increase the duration of the noise for everybody.

The report is packed with other useful information but note it concentrates on heights and noise.  It doesn’t deal in any depth with other causes of noise such as increased concentration or a rise in flight numbers.

Read HACAN’s assessment of the report:  http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Blog-CAA-Report-1.pdf

Read the summary:   https://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/20180719%20CAP1691a%20Departure%20Noise%20Mitigation%20Summary%20Report.pdf

Full report:  https://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP1691%20Departure%20Noise%20Mitigation%20Main%20Report.pdf

Heathrow Flight Path Consultation: January to March 2019: Details on consultation and responses

Major Heathrow consultation launched in January

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.

HACAN has released its response to the consultation.  Please feel free to use it to inform your own response should you wish.  It can be found at:  http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/HACAN-response-to-Heathrow-Consultation-1.pdf

And here is the response of our sister organisation HACAN East: http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Heathrow-Consultation-response-from-HACAN-East-1.pdf

For a 2 page summary of the runway alternation and respite proposals click: http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Heathrow-Consultation-briefing-arrivals-runway-alternation-and-respite-1-1.pdf 

For a 1 page summary on the departure proposals click:  http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Heathrow-Consultation-briefing-departures-1-1.pdf

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.

For a 1 page summary of the night flight proposals click:  http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Heathrow-Consultation-briefing-night-flights-1.pdf

Views are sought on whether ‘westerly preference’ 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)

For a 1 page summary on the westerly preference proposals click: http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Heathrow-consultation-briefing-westerly-preference-1.pdf

Heathrow is proposing to bring in 25,000 extra flights a year in the years running up to the opening of any third runway.  Some of these flights will use new dedicated flight paths called Independent Parallel Approaches.

For a 2 page summary of Independent Parallel Approaches click:  http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Independent-Parallel-Approach-briefing-1.pdf

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-1.pdf

Here’s a link to where and when the Heathrow consultation exhibitions will take place: http://afo.heathrowconsultation.com 

Here’s a powerpoint we have put together highlighting how different areas could be affected by the consultation proposals:  http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Heathrow-Airspace-Consultation-1.pdf

AIRCRAFT NOISE AND MENTAL HEALTH

HACAN, in conjunction with the Aviation Environment Federation, staged a successful seminar on aircraft noise and mental health on 4th July 2016 in Parliament.  It was chaired by Tanya Mathias MP.  The speakers included Dirk Schreckenberg, one of the authors of the ground-breaking NORAH Study, and Matt Gorman, Director of Sustainability at Heathrow Airport.

 Summary of presentations of seminar on aircraft noise and mental health (pdf)

Read latest blog on what could be done to ease the situation for people with mental issues living under the flight paths: http://hacan.org.uk/blog/?p=489

Here is the link to a powerful blog I put on the impact of concentrated flight paths on one man’s mental health http://hacan.org.uk/blog/?p=501 .

 

HEATHROW’S 2018 CONSULTATIONS

Heathrow consultations finished on March 28th

Heathrow Airport held two key consultations. One set out options for construction around a third runway in the more immediate area of the airport including a possible shorter runway, moving part of the M25, changes to the local road lay-out and compensation for the Heathrow villages.

The other set out options for the principles which inform the design of the extensive flight path changes, driven by new technology, which will be brought in whether or not a third runway is built.

Read the official HACAN response to the airspace consultation:  http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/HACAN-Response-to-Heathrow-Airspace-Consultation-1.pdf

Read the official HACAN response to the expansion consultation: http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/HACAN-response-Heathrow-consultation-expansion-1.pdf

Read the response from HACAN East: http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/HACAN-East-response-to-Heathrows-Airspace-Consultation-1.pdf

MAJOR REPORT FROM CAA

Major new departures report from CAA

The Civil Aviation Authority published a major report on 27th July into departures from Heathrow Airport.  It was largely done in response to complaints from local people than aircraft have become louder and lower.

The report is packed with other useful information but note it concentrates on heights and noise.  It doesn’t deal in any depth with other causes of noise such as increased concentration or a rise in flight numbers.

Read HACAN’s assessment of the report:  http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Blog-CAA-Report-1.pdf

Read the summary:   https://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/20180719%20CAP1691a%20Departure%20Noise%20Mitigation%20Summary%20Report.pdf

Full report:  https://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP1691%20Departure%20Noise%20Mitigation%20Main%20Report.pdf

SE LONDON GETS NO NOISE RESPITE

South East London – No Respite  from aircraft noise

 HACAN today (13/8/18) is pleased to publish an important report by Forest Hill resident Tim Walker outlining what happens when London City and Heathrow airports combine to create community noise hotspots in south east London

Using London SE23 as an example, the paper aims to make clear to policymakers, campaigners and the two airports what the problems for communities are with the introduction of concentrated flight paths (City Airport) and separate development of the two London airport flight paths.

Noise from arriving London City Airport aircraft combined with departing and arriving Heathrow aircraft blights thousands of south east London homes, with no respite.

City Airport’s low altitude air superhighways, beginning in Feb 2016, have resulted in a perfect storm of aircraft noise for many SE London residents.

Respite means scheduled relief from aircraft noise for a period of time. There are community noise hotspots in SE London that receive no respite from 6.30am to 10pm nearly every day of the year.

Read the full report:  http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/No-aircraft-noise-respite-for-London-SE23-August-2018-1.pdf

RESPITE REPORT PUBLISHED

 Respite Report launched

Heathrow published its long-awaited respite report commissioned from Anderson Acoustics on 16th February 2017.  It is the first of its kind to be done.  HACAN was part of the steering group.  Summary video: https://youtu.be/7Z5mt7rKJgA .

Where to find the reports: https://www.heathrow.com/noise/making-heathrow-quieter/respite-research

Most people favour respite

Heathrow’s consultation on the principles it should use in designing its new flight paths showed most people backed respite.  54% wanted the priority to be respite even if that increased the total number overflown; 25% wanted the priority to be to prevent new areas being overflown (that included most respondents not currently overflown); any only 22% backed minimising the total number overflown by concentrating all the flights over certain areas.  (Some backed more than one option which is why the don;t add up to 100%).

You can reading about further findings here:   https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/95fcb6e4-d297-4678-9a08-3a819f0529d9

Aircraft noise and health – some studies

 

 

New World Health Organisation Guidelines (2018) tougher on aircraft noise

The new noise guidelines from the World Health Organisation, published 10th October 2018, are tougher on aircraft noise than previously.

Recommended Limits

Road                            53Lden                        45Lnight

 Rail                              54Lden                        44Lnight

 Aircraft                      45Len                          40Lnight

 Wind Turbines      45Lden         no recommendation

Our view this a strong message to Heathrow as it develops its new flight paths that aircraft noise problems are not confined to areas close to the airport.  The guidelines indicate that aircraft noise can affect the health of people living well over 20 miles from Heathrow.  They are of course just guidelines, not intended to be implemented overnight, whose main purpose is to indicate the levels at which noise can become a health problem.

For more details, see the HACAN press release:  http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/WHO-new-noise-guidelines-Press-Release-1.pdf 

WHOreport: http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/383921/noise-guidelines-eng.pdf?ua=1

HACAN’s plain person’s guide to the WHO report: http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Plain-Persons-Guide-to-WHO-report-1.pdf

A good overview of noise and health research:   Aircraft Noise and Public Health the evidence is loud and clear final reportONLINE

 And here is the summary: AEF_aircraft noise and health_FINAL3

HYENA-study-712 – this study by Imperial College assed the impact of night flights on the health of people living around a number of European airports, including Heathrow

http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f5432:  A study of aircraft noise and cardiovascular disease near Heathrow airport finds the risk of heart problems are much higher for people living under noisy flight paths

Night Noise Guidelines for Europe:  Produced by the World Health Organisation in 2009.  These have been updated in 2018 – see above.

Night noise factsheet