Latest Aviation Policy News

Transport Select Committee Airspace Management and Modernisation Inquiry

Mar 9, 2017

The Transport Select Committee have announced an inquiry into Airspace Management and Modernisation. Further details can be found here. Deadline for submissions is Friday 31 March 2017.

The Committee is particularly interested to receive submissions addressing some or all of the following:

  • The role of Government in facilitating improvements to the airspace
  • The need for modernisation, in terms of the economic and environmental sustainability benefits, and the risks for the aviation industry and wider economy from maintaining the current airspace structures
  • The essential changes that need to be made to UK airspace, particularly those associated with the development of an additional runway in the South East
  • Progress of the Civil Aviation Authority’s Future Airspace Strategy in achieving its core objectives of reducing congestion, improving safety and taking advantage of new technologies to enable a more efficient airspace system

Draft Airports National Policy Statement

Mar 9, 2017

This covers the specific requirements that the applicant for a new north-west runway at Heathrow Airport will need to meet to gain development consent.

The draft Airports National Policy Statement sets out:

  • the need for additional airport capacity in the south-east of England
  • why government believes that need is best met by a north-west runway at Heathrow Airport
  • the specific requirements that the applicant for a new north-west runway will need to meet to gain development consent

Draft Airports National Policy Statement Web Version

The draft Airports National Policy Statement is subject to public consultation and Parliamentary scrutiny. The government will consider all responses to the consultation. Following the consultation and Parliamentary scrutiny, if the Secretary of State decides to proceed, he will lay a final Airports National Policy Statement before Parliament. If this is successful, he will then designate the final Airports National Policy Statement.

For more information and to submit a response click here. The consultation closes at 11:45pm on 25 May 2017.

Government Consultation on Night Flight Restrictions

Jan 13, 2017

On 12 January 2017 the Government published its consultation regarding proposals for night flight restrictions from October 2017 at Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted.

The consultation and impact assessment documents can be found below:

Consultation Document: Night Flight Restrictions At Heathrow Gatwick And Stansted

Night Flights Impact Assessment

Note, the proposals relate to:

  • environmental objective
  • the length of the restrictions
  • the structure of the restrictions
  • movement limits at each airport
  • noise quota limits at each airport

The proposals are not relevant to Heathrow expansion.
The annual noise reports for the three airports can be found here:

Heathrow Airport Noise 2015

Gatwick Airport Noise 2015

Stansted Airport Noise 2015

Consultation responses must be completed by 28 February 2017, 11.45pm. Responses can be:

ICAO Environmental Report 2016

Sep 8, 2016

The ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) Environmental Report 2016 presents the work of the Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP), which involves more than 600 internationally recognised experts, in areas such as noise, air quality, climate change, aircraft end-of-life, recycling and climate change adaptation.

icao-environmental-report-2016

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