Consultation outcome

Night flight restrictions at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports between 2022 and 2024 plus future night flight policy

From:
Department for Transport
Published
2 December 2020
Last updated
27 March 2023 — See all updates
This consultation has concluded

Download the full outcome

Night flight restrictions at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted: decision document

PDF, 1.53 MB, 40 pages

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Night flight dispensation guidance: update

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Detail of outcome

The main actions to arise from the consultation are that:

  • the existing night noise objective and night flight restrictions will be rolled over for a period of 3 years
  • the next night flight regime will run from October 2022 to October 2025
  • we will implement a ban on QC4 rated aircraft movements at the designated airports during the night quota period from October 2022
  • once we have taken into account responses to part 2 of our consultation, we aim to publish a further consultation on night flight restrictions post-October 2025, during 2023

The outcome was released on 19 July 2021.

An update to this outcome was published on 27 March 2023. This outlines plans to publish updated guidance on the dispensation process as part of the main night flight regime consultation, which is expected to launch in late 2023.

Original consultation

Summary

Proposes maintaining night flight restrictions at designated airports until 2024, banning QC4 aircraft movements plus night flight policy beyond 2024.

This consultation ran from
to

Consultation description

Two-part consultation asking:

  1. To maintain the existing night flight restrictions for the designated airports between 2022 to 2024 plus banning QC4 rated aircraft movements between 23:30 to 06:00.
  2. For views on policy options for the future night flight policy, beyond 2024, at designated airports and nationally – this second part will now continue beyond 3 March 2021 in a new consultation, starting 4 March 2021 and ending 3 September 2021, all responses received will be treated equally to those of the new consultation.

The designated airports are Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.

The QC or quota count system, is category system based on the aircraft noise level and conducted in accordance with the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation certification process. The QC4 aircraft category includes departure of Boeing 747-400s and similar craft.

Documents

Night flight restrictions

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Annex C: the current situation at the designated airports

PDF, 3.11 MB, 11 pages

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Annex D: designated airport night flight statistics

PDF, 184 KB, 3 pages

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Annex E: night flight dispensations review

PDF, 492 KB, 17 pages

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Annex F: guidelines on dispensations

PDF, 156 KB, 4 pages

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Annex G: noise contours for Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports

PDF, 1.76 MB, 9 pages

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Annex H: impact of proposed QC 0.0625 operations

PDF, 613 KB, 4 pages

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Published 2 December 2020
Last updated 27 March 2023 + show all updates

  1. Added an update on night flight dispensation guidance.

  2. Outcome decision document released.

  3. Announcement that the second part of the consultation, concerned with longer-term policy reform, will now be extended and continue in a second consultation, this new consultation will run from 4 March to 31 May 2021.

  4. First published.