Heathrow vows to curb night flights
12 May 2016 09:40
Could Heathrow night flights soon be a thing of the past?
Holidaymakers might not be able to fly out of Heathrow at night, under the airport's new plans to clean up its environmental act.
Heathrow has announced the compromise in its bid to win the battle to land the South East's new runway.
Last year, the Airports Commission recommended the west London airport over Gatwick as its preferred option.
But this came with stipulations that Heathrow should not allow travel from 11.30pm to 6am.
Heathrow says it is happy to comply with night-time curbs, but wants the prohibited period to be amended to between 11pm and 5.30am.
What's in Heathrow's proposed package?
John Holland-Kaye, the travel hub's chief executive, has sent a letter to David Cameron outlining the "significant" new package.
It tells the Prime Minister that the plans satisfy the criterion laid down by the Airports Commission concerning environmental and local community impact.
The suggestions include:
• introducing a night flight ban between 11pm and 5.30am
• backing the creation of a new noise authority which would be totally independent
• promising only to expand further if it can add extra capacity without hampering Britain's compliance with Europe's air quality rules
• agreeing to any ministerial decision to prevent a fourth Heathrow runway from being built
Peace of mind for passengers
Whichever airport passengers decide to fly out of, one decision is a no-brainer - and that's whether or not to take out travel insurance.
Policyholders can eliminate the risk of unexpected mishaps ruining their holiday by getting themselves protection.
What the experts say
Mr Holland-Kaye says the new reforms will help the Government pick Heathrow to help make the UK's economy even stronger.
Hcan, the group leading the campaign against Heathrow growth, calls the night flight ban pledge potentially significant. Its chairman John Stewart says this is something that the group has wanted for years.