Category: Information Library

Details of Aviation Green Paper Consultation, now closed – includes HACAN response

The Government published its Green Paper with proposals for its new aviation strategy at the end of last year which it will finalise and release in the second half of 2019.  The consultation ended on 20th June 2019.

Read HACAN’s response:  HACAN Consultation Response

Read the response of HACAN East: Aviation Green Paper HACAN East response

For more details of the consultation, plus HACAN’s briefing on it: https://hacan.org.uk/?p=5068

Noise Relief: major new report from HACAN

HACAN released a report challenging the aviation industry to take action to improve the noise climate for local communities. Noise Relief outlines practical measures which could be taken to achieve this.

John Stewart, chair of HACAN and co-author of the report, said, “Heathrow is drawing up plans for the biggest shake up of its flight paths since the airport opened in 1946. HACAN welcomes many of these plans, particularly those which will bring some respite each day to the many areas which are currently flown over all day long.   But these new flight paths will not be in place for several years yet. Our report suggests measures which can be taken in the interim.”

The report advocates four measures be taken to assist residents:

  • Stagger the point at which planes join their final approach path: at present 95% of planes now join within a narrow 4.8 nautical mile band;
  • Increase variation in departure routes: over the last ten years or so aircraft taking off from Heathrow have increasingly been concentrated along narrow flight paths;
  • Promote fairer night flight arrival distribution: night flights appear to vary their routes less than they did in the past;
  • Reduce simultaneous overflight by both Heathrow and London City arrivals:   there are days when parts of SE London are overflown by both Heathrow and London City aircraft, giving them at times over 50 planes an hour.

HACAN will now be lobby the industry for action on these measures

To read the full report: http://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/NoiseRelief.pdf

Heathrow Noise Action Plan Published

Each airport with over 50,000 movements is required by the European Union to publish a Noise Action Plan every 5 years. Heathrow has just published it latest one covering the years 2019 – 2023. It only focuses on a two-runway Heathrow since, if a third runway gets permission, it will not be up and running until about 2025/6. UK airports will not be required to produce Noise Action Plans if the UK leaves the EU but the Government is considering replacing them with Noise Reduction Plans: https://www.heathrow.com/noise/making-heathrow-quieter/noise-action-plan

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 .