The biggest change to flight paths in over 50 years coming to UK airports

Flight paths, above everything else, are what interest people impacted by aircraft noise. The number of visitors to the flight path page of the website of HACAN East (which represents people affected by London City Airport) is more than those visiting all the other pages put together.

?If was the same when I was with HACAN (which gives a voice to residents impacted by Heathrow). A few years back I wrote: “Many residents are not very interested, and indeed can be disinterested, in the total number of planes using an airport or even how many runways it has or proposes to build. Its flight paths which interests them. The number of planes overhead. Where the flight paths are is what matters".

The proposals to bring in the biggest change to flights at UK for over half a century will, therefore, be of huge relevance to residents.

Today (October 22nd) the Government has announced the first step in the process with a consultation on the nature of the national body which will oversee the process, the Airspace Design Service. It was covered in today’s Financial Times: https://www.ft.com/content/06da843c-5a73-479c-9193-971690394367

? Changes offer hope to residents

Consultation on detailed flight path changes will follow, probably in 2025 or 2026. The changes do offer hope of a break from the noise for many under the existing paths. London City’s flight paths were concentrated in 2016 so the same communities are overflown all the time. The corridors which Heathrow aircraft use have become more concentrated over the last 15 years or so: ?https://hacan.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Corridors-of-Concentration-Report-1.pdf

?If the new narrow flight paths are alternated, which both Heathrow and London City have said they will do, long-suffering residents will get a break from the noise. To my knowledge, other UK airports have yet to make that commitment. Although this may mean some new areas getting noise, the alternative is the nightmare American residents are experiencing: concentrated, all-day flying.

?The changes are being driven by new technology. Airports across the world are moving from a ground-based system to a satellite system to guide planes in and out of airports. ?It is called Performance Based Navigation (PBN).

The flight paths will save the airlines time, money and fuel because they will be more direct and will reduce hold-ups. At present if a plane is flying from say Hong Kong to Heathrow it uses a maze of flight paths as each country operates its own system. That will all change. Satellites will coordinate the systems so planes can fly direct routes.?

The flight paths will also increase capacity at airports. This is because fewer flights will be delayed en route. The new more precise flight paths also allow planes to turn more sharply after leaving the airport and so can be up and away more quickly.?

?The flight paths will cut climate change emissions per flight. This is simply down to the fact that they will be flying more direct routes.?

?So, the new flight paths will benefit the aviation industry and the wider economy. They might also reduce overall emissions (depending if the CO2 saving per plane outweighs any increase in flight numbers).

?And, done properly, they could be of overall benefit to many residents. In addition to getting a precious break from the noise, many aircraft could be higher. At present, particularly in the London area where there are so many airports planes are often held down lower than they need be so as not to get in the way of planes from other airports. Dedicated flight paths could change all that.

Unless you live under or close to a flight path, flight paths sound rather technical. Not as sexy as new runways. The next few years could change all that.