The UK’s Department for Transportation (DfT) has launched a consultation over possible changes to nighttime aircraft noise limits at London Stansted, Heathrow, and Gatwick airports. The proposals would most immediately impact Stansted Airport where there could be a new cap on the so-called quota count (QC) limit for noise between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.
This so-called "bridging regime" would be in force at Stansted between October 2025 and October 2028 while the government completes its aviation night noise effects (ANNE) study that could result in wider changes in policy at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports. The consultation closes on May 22, 2024.
Following delays attributed to recovery from the Covid pandemic, the ANNE report is not anticipated until the end of 2025, and so the DfT intends to leave restrictions at Heathrow and Gatwick unchanged for now. However, it says it has to review the limits at Stansted in light of separate planning permission granted back in June 2021 that allowed for an increase in the number of passengers using the airport annually to 43 million (within the existing movement limit of 274,000). This decision called for a new night QC limit to be introduced for the summer 2026 season, and the government now feels the need to reconcile its wider noise limits for the UK capital’s airports with this requirement.
The government is proposing a "bridging regime" to cover all three airports through October 2028. The more specific options being considered for Stansted involve bringing forward the implementation of a new QC limit to the start of the winter season in 2025 or continuing existing limits in tandem with the requirements of Stansted’s planning permission.
Business Aircraft Could Be Constrained
It seems unclear to what extent the changes might impact business aviation traffic at Stansted, which is almost 40 miles northeast of central London. The noise limits have been mainly developed with airline traffic in mind. Three FBOs provide handling at Stansted: Universal Aviation, Harrods Aviation, and Inflite Jet Centre.
According to Sean Raftery, Universal's senior director of international business, handling companies are more concerned about new restrictions on the ability of business aircraft operators to use slots at night that are anticipated this summer. "For the last few years, Stansted has been the only airport available at night to business aviation and then on a limited first-come-first-served basis," he told AIN. "This was possible through a small number of ad-hoc slots being reserved for business aviation to draw on. This year these slots are being withdrawn to accommodate over-running airline traffic that falls into the night period."
Universal Aviation is challenging this new policy, but Jason Hayward, general manager of its Stansted FBO, acknowledged that airlines have far more power over slot allocation processes. The company is also responding to the DfT consultation, both independently and through the British Business and General Aviation Association.
The UK government is also considering the introduction of a new QC noise category for the quietest aircraft rated at or below 77.9 EPNdB, which would be defined as QC0. The next noise category up would then become QU0.0625 and would apply to aircraft rated between 78 and 80.9 EPNdB.
The government has considered whether to reintroduce night noise exemptions for the quietest category of aircraft, which it said could include some business jets. However, for now, the DfT has concluded it will not seek to make this change as part of its "bridging regime" running through October 2028.
In 2017, the government removed a standard exemption for the quietest group of aircraft so that all movements would count toward an airport’s overall annual limit. “We are aware the business and general aviation sector has stated there have been times when they could not obtain, on short notice, sufficient night slots to deliver services that were previously able to operate at night as exempt flights,” the DfT documents acknowledged.