Stansted Airport calls for views on five-year noise plan

Stansted Airport is setting out its next five-year plan to mitigate the impact of aircraft noise.

The Draft Noise Action Plan - which runs from 2024 to 2028 - sets out how the Essex airport will manage the effect of noise on local communities.

Among the proposals are reducing night flight noise during the growing summer season - and installing additional noise monitors in surrounding areas.

The public consultation will close on 28 August and can be found here.

The airport said the plan would "assess, consider and manage aircraft noise at the airport" and was a "key part of delivering broader government noise objectives that are to limit and, where possible, reduce the number of people in the UK significantly affected by aircraft noise".

In recent years, the airport has seen the introduction of quieter and more efficient aircraft, such as the Airbus Neo series and Boeing 737 Max.

Among the aims are a target that 94% of arriving aircraft will perform a "continuous descent approach" (CDA) where aircraft remain higher for longer, which can reduce arrival noise by up to five decibels.

Controls on night-time flying, which are set by the government, will be enhanced, the draft plan says, restricting the operation of noisier aircraft types and imposing lower noise penalty limits.

The plan also outlines a commitment to make the airport's operations net zero by 2038.

In his introduction, managing director Gareth Powell wrote: "In this consultation, we are proposing new policies to minimise our noise impacts.

"Over the coming weeks we will be working with surrounding local authorities, local councils, community representatives, the Stansted Airport Consultative Committee, airlines and NATS (the provider of the UK's air traffic control services), to ensure that the finalised Noise Action Plan responds to feedback from our stakeholders."

A final draft will be submitted to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) which will include a summary of the feedback received.

In 2021, the Planning Inspectorate granted the airport permission to increase its passenger cap to 43m passengers a year.

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