Row over night flight increase for London Olympics (From Richmond and Twickenham Times)
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Row over night flight increase for London Olympics
11:00am Saturday 14th November 2009 in News By Paul Teed
Campaigners today vowed to fight plans to lift a ban on night flights during the Olympics.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has been considering a string of measures to remove controls on London’s airports during the 2012 Games to cope with the huge number of visitors from across the world.
Among them is a plan to ease restrictions on flights at Heathrow between 11pm and 6am.
Susan Kramer, MP for Richmond Park, said she would “fight tooth and nail” to protect her constituents and has tabled questions in Parliament to ask the Department of Transport (DfT) for clarification.
She said: “It’s absolutely outrageous the Olympics are being used to sneak the lifting of the ban on night flights through the back door. Being kept awake by the roar of huge engines is hardly the Olympic legacy that those living under the flight path deserve.”
Councillor Barbara Reid, lead member for environment at Hounslow Council, said west Londoners already suffered from about 16 flights every night.
She said: “I’m very supportive of the Olympic Games, but I’m sure there are other ways around it.”
Councillor Geoff Acton, cabinet member for environment at Richmond Council, added he was “very concerned” that restrictions the authority had fought for over many years could be “swept aside”.
The CAA said its proposal to increase night flights was one of many it suggested to the DfT as part of its Olympic strategy.
A CAA spokesman said the DfT would ultimately decide whether to implement the changes, adding: “Local authorities will be consulted, there will be a lot of discussion over the next three years on how to cope with extra air traffic in the south-east.”
John Stewart, chairman of campaign group Hacan, described the proposals as “shocking”, and warned: “It will be even worse if some of these new measures stay in place to provide extra capacity for ever and a day.”
Zac Goldsmith, Conservative parliamentary candidate for Richmond Park, added his voice to the opposition, and said: “These proposals need to be resisted all the way.”
Murad Qureshi, chairman of the London Assembly’s environment committee, added: “Enduring weeks of sleepless nights is simply too much to ask of people. The Civil Aviation Authority needs to look at other ways of handling the extra visitors expected for the games.”
A spokesman for the DfT said: “The Government is working with the Civil Aviation Authority, National Air Traffic Services (NATS) and aviation industry stakeholders to look at all aspects of airspace management for the 2012 games.
“This work is at an early stage and no firm decisions have been made.”
p London Assembly member Tony Arbour this week raised concerns that the Government approved a third runway at Heathrow after comparing predicted noise levels with those when Concorde was still in use.
He claimed 2002 was used as the benchmark year and accused the DfT of being “disingenuous”
