Council says Heathrow mixed mode trial sees complaints rise
23.12.11
People living under the Heathrow flightpath say their lives are being made a misery by a rise in the number of planes flying over their homes during previously ‘quiet’ periods, according to complaints received by Wandsworth Council. The trial of using the two runways on a 'mixed mode' basis (for both takeoff and landing) during periods of delays has seen hundreds of flights land and take off during previously quiet times.
The council says it has received more than 100 noise complaints from residents in Putney and Battersea since the four-month ‘operational freedoms’ trial began last month. It has given the airport more freedom to land on either of its runways, where previously residents were given a respite period of several hours where one is used for exclusively for takeoffs and the other for landings. The trial, which was proposed by the Government, is designed to make the airport more efficient and cut delays.
So far, more than 640 flights have landed during these quiet times, and between November 23 and December 14 there were 23 a day, according to the council. BAA, which has received more than 200 complaints, said the trial did not mean a complete loss of respite for residents but acknowledged some flights may operate outside the normal pattern, although it will not lead to an increase in flights in total.
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