New airport flight paths proposed
21.02.08
Plans to move flight paths in and out of UK airports including Heathrow, Stansted, Luton and London City away from built up areas have been launched by National Air Traffic Services (Nats), the firm that manages UK air traffic. The changes will redraw the airspace above 12 million people. Nats says its plans would cut by 20% the number of people affected by noise from departing planes flying below 4000ft (1219m).
Nats is proposing to reduce congestion over Brookmans Park in Hertfordshire caused by converging departure routes from Heathrow, Luton, London City and Northolt airports; and relocate and separate the holding facilities for Luton and Stansted to accommodate their growth. The airports currently share two holds - but under these proposals each would have a dedicated hold and Stansted an additional hold.
It also plans to introduce what are called continuous descent approaches where aircraft stay higher for longer, reducing fuel burn and noise, for Stansted's easterly runway; and formalise arrival and departure routes for London City to reflect the growing number of jet aircraft using the airport, and to provide a new hold.
Nats said the redrawn airspace map would reduce by 20% to 1.28 million the number of people exposed to departing aircraft flying below 4,000ft, because planes taking off from Heathrow, Luton, City, Stansted and Northolt airports would climb more rapidly . This will reduce noise exposure, Nats said, but increase carbon dioxide emissions because aircraft will have to use more power on take-off.
The new flight paths could be in place by spring 2009, if the Civil Aviation Authority gives Nats the go-ahead. Nats will now hold a 13-week consultation with residents and more than 3000 organisations, including MPs, local councils, green groups, airlines and businesses from across five affected areas. These are Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and north-east Essex; the Chilterns and Luton; east Hertfordshire and west Essex; west and north-west London, and east London and south-east Essex.
Unveiling the plans at a media briefing in London yesterday, Nats Operations director Ian Hall said: ‘Heathrow, Stansted, Luton and London City airports have grown considerably in the past 20 years - London City has grown from virtually nothing since the early 1990s - we have simply accommodated this growth within the existing airspace infrastructure. However, just like bottlenecks on roads, increased air traffic causes congestion in the air, meaning delay and extra fuel burn - and that has an impact on the environment.’
‘We also have to accommodate growth forecast under existing government policy so now is the right time to overhaul the airspace fundamentally to ensure we maintain our high safety standards, reduce delays and minimise the effect on the environment.’
The proposals will accommodate up to 100 million more airline passengers a year by 2014. However, there will have to be a total rethink on flight routes if a second runway is approved for Stansted.
For more information visit http://www.consultation.nats.co.uk/, although the Nats website was struggling with ‘high levels of demand’ when we visited it, and is taking a long time to respond or sometimes crashing. Part of this is because people can enter their post codes to find out how the plans will affect them, and this is proving popular. A feedback form is also available on the site for people to register their views.
The consultation process started today (February 21) and runs until May 22. All feedback received during this period will be analysed and summarised in a report which will be published on the Nats website by June 22. Public comments will also be sent to the Civil Aviation Authority for a final decision.
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