At Party Conference in Manchester I had a meeting with the Chief Executive of Heathrow to get up to date on tackling noise nuisance from the airport.
They have now launched their Fly quieter, Fly cleaner programme and publish how different airlines are doing. This is a way to spread better practice and to get airlines with noisy planes to see how they can improve. Actions include avoiding abrupt turns or changes of level, not deploying the undercarriage too early, and staying higher for longer.
They are encouraging faster climb for the noisy Airbus A 380 planes, to reduce noise contours in our area.
They are seeking fewer night flights.
They will soon announce a consultation on the Compton Gate route arrangements. It was changes to this without proper consultation which triggered additional noise for residents of the Wokingham constituency. I will keep people posted, as we need to respond to this document when it issues.
Heathrow is accepting more responsibility in a system where blame can be shunted between airport, airlines, regulators and government.
I will continue to press for more work to cut noise by better flying, limited hours, sensible routes, and getting planes higher sooner and keeping them higher for longer on descent.
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