We know that lots of people living near Heathrow are concerned that they may be affected by new flight paths for a third runway. 

Unfortunately, at the moment we can't say exactly where the new flights paths will be. The Government's decision is just the first stage in a long planning process and as yet, very little detailed planning work has been carried out on the project. 

As part of the planning process, NATS (National Air Traffic Service) will look at how flight paths for a three-runway Heathrow might operate. Once they have designs for the new flight paths, they will consult with the local community, so you will be able to find out more and have a chance to make your voice heard on this issue. 

As soon as new information becomes available, we will update these pages.

In the meantime, to give you an idea of whether or not you might be affected by flight paths for a third runway, it might be helpful to look at some early indicative work that NATS carried out for the Department of Transport. Pages 51 - 55 of the 'Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport' consultation document show a variety of ways flight paths from a three-runway Heathrow might operate. However, it is important to note that these flight paths are purely illustrative and won't be the final designs submitted.

You might also like to have a look at our dedicated noise website. You can find out more about what BAA is doing to reduce noise from Heathrow Airport and the mitigation schemes we currently have in place for people affected by high levels of noise. These schemes will be reviewed during the planning process to ensure people newly affected by aircraft noise from a third runway are taken into account.