Noise - frequently asked questions

How do I find out if I am overflown by Heathrow’s flights
In order to check this we require your full current or intended postal address – including postcode – we will check the Noise and Track Keeping system to see if you are affected by Heathrow operations and then respond to you explaining how you are affected. We will send an information pack which explains Heathrow’s operations.  This will include maps of typical day’s aircraft tracks for arrivals and departures and showing the differences depending on which direction we are using, as well as more specific maps which show your location in relation to these aircraft tracks.

Isn’t it against the law to fly at night & who allows night flights anyway?
There has never been a ban on night flights at Heathrow.  However, since 1962 there have been restrictions in various formats. All the aircraft using Heathrow Airport during the night are operated in accordance with the night restrictions set by the Department for Transport (DfT).

The DfT imposes restrictions on night flights in order to preserve a balance between the need to protect local communities from excessive aircraft noise at night, and the operation of services where they provide economic benefits.  The decision to allow night flights, therefore, is a policy matter for the Government.

What are the noise restrictions for night flights?
The Government reviews the restrictions every few years including public consultation. The restrictions apply per season. There are only two seasons -Summer and Winter. Every year the end of one season and the beginning of the next co-incide with the changes from and to British Summer Time. The results of the latest review took effect from Winter season 2006/07 and will last until 2012. The consultation documents giving full details of the review and the Government’s decisions are available on the Department for Transport’s Website (www.dft.gov.uk).

The restrictions apply from 11pm to 7am. This is known as the Night period. Tighter restrictions apply between 11.30pm and 6am. This is known as the Night Quota period. The periods between the Night Quota period and the night period ie 11pm to 11.30pm and 6am to 7am are known as the Shoulder periods.
Over the whole of the Night period (ie 11pm to 7am) the noiest types of aircraft cannot be scheduled to operate.

In the Night Quota period (ie from 11.30pm to 6am) there are two limits. The first restricts flights to a maximum number. The second is the Quota Count points system. Each aircraft which wishes to oeprate at night has to be assessed by the Civil Aviation Authority and allocated a Quota Count (QC) number. The more noise it makes the higher the QC number. The very quietest aircraft are exempt. The noisier types (ie those with the highest numbers) cannot be scheduled to operate in the Night Quota period. Those wth the smaller numbers (ie the quieter ones) can be scheduled to operate but each time they fly in or fly out in this period the amount of QC points they have been allocated must be subtracted from an overall limit on points which may be used in a season. So for example an aircraft which is QC1 when arriving will use up 1 point from the overall limit. Aircraft may have different QC numbers for when they are arriving and when they are departing, depending on the amount of noise they make for each.

Both limits apply over the whole season and not per day or week so the number of flights may vary from day to day. However BAA strictly manages and monitors night flights to ensure that neither limit is exceeded by the end of the season.

This system encourages airlines who want to fly at night to use the quietest aircraft.  However, there is also the limit on the maximum number of flights which cannot be exceeded and once this limit is reached, no more flights may operate even if there are QC points remaining.  The reverse also applies, ie if the QC limit is reached but the maximum number of flights has not been reached, again no more flights may operate.

Surely the European Court of Human Rights ruled that night flights should be banned?
The Court case was between local residents and the Department for Transport (DfT) since it is DfT which is responsible for policy on night flights. On appeal the ECHR ruled that DfT could allow night flights. However, the DfT takes the needs of residents into account and places restrictions on the numbers of night flights and the types of aircraft which may be used.

Why are you operating in a Westerly/Easterly direction?
Air Traffic Control (ATC) are responsible for deciding the direction of operation and make their decision based upon a number of factors, including:  the current prevailing wind speed and direction at the airfield, both on the ground and in the air (what is happening at 1000ft and 2000ft above ground is also very important); the forecast for the next 4 to 6 hours; and information from pilots. The position is kept constantly under review and any changes made in the light of all relevant factors at the time. The weather forecast made by the Met Office is not a reliable indicator for what is happening at Heathrow since the Met Office forecast to the public is general and relates to ground level.  In addition a westerly preference operates during the day and an easterly/westerly rotation of preferences operates at night depending mainly on wind speed.

Haven’t we had more easterly/westerly operations recently? When will the wind change?
In recent years the prevailing wind direction in the Heathrow area has been from the west.  This, together with the westerly preference has resulted in approximately 70% of aircraft operations being in a westerly direction and approximately 30% in an easterly direction. Air Traffic Control is responsible for deciding the direction of operation, and this is determined by wind speed and direction at the airfield at 1000 and 2000 feet. The percentage of westerly/easterly operations in any period therefore will vary. There can be quite a wide variation from year to year, individual months vary widely and there is no correlation between the same months in different years.

Have the flight paths been changed – I’ve never noticed aircraft over here before?
There has been no change in policies relating to how Heathrow operates, including how Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) direct aircraft, nor in the position of the Noise Preferential Routes (NPRs), the stacks where arriving aircraft ‘queue’ whilst waiting to join the Instrument Landing System (ILS) or the position of the ILS radio beams which aircraft use to bring them into land on the last stage of their journey.  The Noise Preferential Routes have been in place for over 40 years. There are no set routes or heights for arriving aircraft as they travel from the stacks to join the ILSs, so areas overflown by aircraft on that part of the journey may notice differences in positions and heights of aircraft from day to day.  Detailed information on how your area is affected may be obtained from our Operations Communications team in the Contact Us section.

Why haven’t you alternated runways at the scheduled time today/this week etc?
Where possible, routine checks, maintenance of runways, adjoining taxiways and associated equipment is planned to coincide with the pattern of runway alternation. However, there will be occasions when alternation has to be suspended, or the pattern modified, to allow maintenance or works of a longer duration, such as resurfacing of runways, to be carried out. This happens rarely and, where it is known in advance, BAA Heathrow gives advance notice to residents.

On a daily basis, whilst every effort is made to ensure that runway alternation operates, there are occasions when, for short periods, unforeseen circumstances mean that changes in the procedure need to be made at short notice. Occasionally, for safety reasons, it is necessary for aircraft to land on the runway not scheduled for landings. For example, as a result of an aircraft bursting a tyre on touchdown. This means that subsequent aircraft will have to use the other runway until the first aircraft has been moved and the runway checked and cleared of tyre debris. Another example is a medical flight that may be landed “out of alternation” in order for it to be brought in more quickly.

Can I get compensation for noise disturbance?
Aircraft noise is specifically exempted from the controls in general environmental protection legislation because it is already controlled by Civil Aviation legislation. Basically, the Civil Aviation Act 1982 provides that no action shall lie in respect of trespass or in respect of nuisance, by reason only of the flight of an aircraft over any property, so long as the provisions of the legislation and any relevant Air Navigation Orders have been complied with.

Will BAA help me to install noise insulation?
In May 1995 BAA Heathrow announced a new £10 million voluntary Noise Insulation Scheme designed to provide noise insulation to people living in the 8,500 homes close to Heathrow's boundary worst affected by aircraft noise. The boundary of the scheme is defined by what is known as the 69 LAeq noise contour. Contours are produced by the Civil Aviation Authority on behalf of the Government and the 69 LAeq contour is considered to represent the area subject to the highest levels of disturbance.

I need details of the Noise and Blight Scheme

• The Government’s white paper - www.dft.gsi.gov.uk or 020 7944 8300
• Copies of BAA Heathrow’s draft interim master plan - 0800 169 5569
• Extra copies of the scheme booklets - 0800 169 5569
• Copies of the scheme booklets in an alternative format or in a community language - 0800 731 4247
• Scheme Administration line (Heathrow) - 020-8745-4929

Will Terminal 5 mean more flights?
Terminal 5 (T5) is an additional passenger terminal that will supplement Heathrow’s existing four terminals, allowing the airport to grow in the future and enhancing BAA’s ability to provide high quality customer service.  T5 is about providing much needed aircraft stands, terminal facilities and improved transport access to the airport inside the airport perimeter and between the two existing runways.

What’s the point of complaining/what happens to the complaints?
Every complaint received by the Operations Communications Team is registered and investigated, and responded to if requested. A specialised complaint handling service is used, combining a database, mapping system and flight and noise records from the Noise and Track Keeping system. BAA Heathrow recognises that a key part of our commitment is the need for consultation with the local community and therefore complaint details are forwarded on a regular basis to the Department for Transport (DfT) and Heathrow Airport Consultative Committee (HACC).  The HACC is made up of representatives from local government, airport users, environmental groups and other interested parties.