End stacking of aircraft over airport, says MP

HENLEY MP John Howell has welcomed a consultation on airspace use by London Heathrow airport.

The Airspace and Future Operations consultation, starting in January, will ask questions about future airspace use and how the airport will operate.

Mr Howell has received repeated complaints from residents about the noise from planes circling over Henley when coming into land at Heathrow during easterly winds. This is caused by aircraft performing a 180 degree turn 4,000ft above the town. 

He raised the issue in the Commons, saying Henley was “very badly blighted” by noise pollution from aircraft. 

He was part of a group of MPs from Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Surrey who met representatives from Heathrow Airport and NATS, which is responsible for air traffic control. He has also met representatives of the Civil Aviation Authority. 

The consultation will refer to the airspace design principles determined through an earlier consultation and will outline the geographic areas within which flightpaths could be positioned.

This is part of a wider airspace modernisation strategy which aims to make airspace more efficient by improving punctuality, cutting CO2 emissions, better managing noise by using multiple routes, reducing holding aircraft at low levels and ensuring capacity to meet future demand.   

Mr Howell said: “Like all of us who have raised the issue of the low levels at which aircraft are held as they make their approach to Heathrow over Henley on an easterly wind, this consultation will give us an excellent opportunity to make our views known. 

“Personally, I am keen to see the end of the system known as stacking whereby aircraft are held in a loop either side of Heathrow as they descend.  I am also keen to ensure that aircraft are brought in at a much higher level than currently.”

The consultation will also be seeking feedback on how Heathrow might operate the runways in the future and will also set out proposed changes for the existing two runways.

The airport will be consulting on an arrivals procedure known as independent parallel approaches to enable more efficient use of the current two runways.  

This summer plans to build a third runway at the airport were backed by MPs.

The government won a key vote in favour of the £14 billion expansion project with a majority in the Commons by 415 votes to 119.

Conservative MPs were told to support Prime Minister Theresa May but Mr Howell was not present as he was at a European Council meeting in Strasbourg.

Mr Howell told the Henley Standard at the time he would have backed plans for a third runway if he received assurances about the impact on his constituency.

Further details on how to participate in the consultation will be provided over the course of the next month.