Campaigners welcome London City Airport’s plans for online plane tracking

Aviation campaigners have welcomed plans by London City Airport to introduce an online tracking system so people can see where flight paths are.

The airport confirmed it is planning to get the service up and running in the next 12 months and campaign group HACAN East said the tool will be especially helpful for those looking to move the Docklands area.

But the group has also accused airports chiefs of “a big missed opportunity” for not tying in the Webtrak facility with the recent launch of the new website.

HACAN East chairman John Stewart said, “This would have been the time to introduce Webtrak with fanfare. It is disappointing that it hasn’t seemed to be a top priority for them.

“Webtrak is incredibly useful. When people move into an area they can be few miles away from the airport and they don’t think, is aircraft noise a problem?”

The service, which tells people exactly where the flight paths are and how high the planes are in any particular area, is already provided by BAA on its Heathrow site.

A spokeswoman for London City said: “London City Airport is in the process of selecting a preferred supplier for new noise and track-keeping equipment.

“The tender for this includes a requirement for Webtrak, a significant investment, which we expect to be installed within the next 12 months.”