News / Bristol Airport Action Network
Is Bristol Airport ‘abusing’ night flight system?
Airlines using Bristol Airport have claimed more than 1000 night flights over their agreed annual quota, a freedom of information request by Bristol Airport Action Network (BAAN) has revealed.
Airlines can claim additional night flights related to emergencies and delays likely to cause serious congestion or passenger hardship. But the ‘exceptional circumstances’ actually claimed for include blocked toilets and delayed plane cleaning.
Night flights provoked 37 complaints from Bristol Airport local residents in the period October-December 2023 alone.
is needed now More than ever
Research shows aviation noise-induced sleep disturbance causes heart disease, strokes, obesity, stress and mental health issues, and that blood pressure increases immediately even when sleepers are not woken by the noise. Studies also reveal the disruption impacts children’s cognition and reading comprehension.
Planning conditions restricted night flights in 2023 to 4,000, but airlines requested a further 1188 be added under ‘special dispensation’ for the period March to October.
806 of these were granted, meaning 418 were considered unacceptable by the assessing authority.
Of the requests granted, only seven related to actual emergencies or danger to life. The rest were linked to delays to fuelling, discrepancies with passenger numbers, cabin crew shortages and other operational issues.
BAAN note that during the previous summer period of 2022 Bristol Airport granted 800 night flight dispensations while Gatwick accepted 576 and Heathrow, the country’s largest airport, allowed only 415. The campaign therefore suggests that ‘Bristol may be abusing the system’.
Stephen Clarke, a BAAN coordinator, said: “It seems like these claimed dispensations have become commonplace for Bristol Airport, rather than being used for exceptional circumstances as envisaged. The airport log shows that even ‘late buses’, ‘blocked toilets’ & ‘late aircraft cleaning’ have been listed as reasons for trying to claim a dispensation!
“Surely a limit of 4,000 night flights should actually be the limit? Not an additional 22% of night flights allowed for what appears to be largely poor planning.”
Bristol Airport commented: “We work under tight noise and environmental controls. These include controls on night flights and an agreed system for exemptions for emergencies and delays, such as those caused by European air traffic control strikes last summer.”
BAAN is hosting a community event to discuss the FOI and other campaign updates at Felton Village Hall in Winford at 7pm on Thursday, February 29. For more information email baancc@protonmail.com
This piece of independent journalism is supported by the Bristol24/7 public and business membership.
Main photo: Chris Head
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