Night Flights? No thanks - and here's why...

February 5, 2012HBM

scheduled night flights are currently banned, but the airport already has the flexibility to handle late arrivals
the proposal is for SCHEDULED night flights… you will go to bed every Monday night knowing that you will be woken at, say, 1:30am and 4am

these night flights are for freight, not passenger flights
the proposal exaggerates the economic benefit - night flights won’t necessarily make jobs
the proposal understates the noise nuisance from night flights

night time is from 11pm until 7am - this is the standard definition, as used in the existing agreement, and throughout the aviation industry, and in national and international legislation
BUT… the new proposal wants to shorten it to 11:30pm until 6am - stealing 1½ hours of your night!
restrictions would only apply to this new shorter “night” - the other 1½ hours would be completely unrestricted, just like the daytime

if Manston had the same proportion of night flights as Heathrow, there would be 15 night flights a year
Manston want 659 flights a year in this new shorter “night” - an average of 1.8 each night… could be none on Monday, none on Tuesday, 5 on Wednesday
between 11pm and 11:30pm, there would be no limit on the number of flights
between 6am and 7am, there would be no limit on the number of flights
any plane due in before 11:30pm that’s late would be allowed to land between 11:30pm and 6am
any plane due in after 6am that’s early would be allowed to land between 11:30pm and 6am
in practice, this proposal would mean unlimited flights between 11pm and 7am

the European Court of Human Rights says that sleep is a human right
never mind the decibels, here's a rule of thumb: if it wakes you up, it's too loud
even if it doesn’t wake you, night noise can disturb your sleep patterns, leaving you less rested, and with raised blood pressure
even if it doesn’t bother you, spare a thought for your family, friends and neighbours who are bothered by the noise
anyone who suffers from anxiety or depression, will experience increased suffering
sleep deprivation means children perform less well in school
sleep deprivation increases the risk of accidents at home, on the roads and at work
noise isn't just annoying: it's dangerous, and can even be deadly

after 11 years, Manston employs just 110 people, some part-time. 66% live in Thanet.
the average pay at Manston is lower than the average pay in Thanet
most of the "jobs" Infratil say will be created are imaginary - the result of totting up tiny statistical fractions of jobs: the fuel delivery driver in East Africa, the barber in Ramsgate who cuts the pilot's hair, etc
the aviation industry has become increasingly automated, and less reliant on people - just 20% more people could handle double the current UK air traffic
Manston recently admitted that if they doubled the amount of freight they handle, and increased the passengers from 30,000 a year to ¾ million a year, they would create just 23 new jobs
jobs created at and near airports are heavily outnumbered by jobs lost in the domestic tourism and hospitality industries

... and that's just for starters! Do feel free to use the Comments to add your own suggestions.

categories Night flights
tags Consultation