London airports night flight secret plans’ for 2012 Olympics

PLANS to let night flights into London during the 2012 Olympics have been condemned by London Assembly members.It follows information by the airports umbrella campaign group Hacan about the Civil Aviation Authority “drawing up secret plans to de-restrict of night flights”

By Mike Brooke

PLANS to let night flights into London during the 2012 Olympics have been condemned by London Assembly members.

It follows information said to have been unearthed by the airports umbrella campaign group Hacan about the Civil Aviation Authority “drawing up secret plans” to remove controls on London’s airports during the Games which could include the de-restriction of night flights.

“Londoners already put up with the noise of the busiest airport in Europe,” the London Assembly’s environment chair Murad Qureshi said last night. “But at least they have some respite overnight.

“Enduring weeks of sleepless nights is simply too much to ask of people. The Aviation authority needs to look at other ways of handling the extra volume of air traffic coming into London for the Games.”

The Aviation authority’s document said to have been uncovered by the Hacan campaigners also talks about “additional upper air routes” and says the Olympics could provide “an opportunity for a transport legacy with potential capacity problems.”

Campaign chairman John Stewart said: “These revelations are shocking. It is bad enough that Londoners are bombarded by aircraft noise day and night during the Olympics. It will be even worse if some of these measures stay in place for ever.”

The London Assembly’s environment committee opposes relaxing restrictions and is now carrying out an investigation into the proposed Heathrow Airport expansion.

Nearest airport to East London’s Olympic site at Stratford is London City Airport just four miles away at Silvertown, in the host borough of Newham, which is already embroiled in a long-running controversy over plans to expand the number of daily flights.