In a nutshell: Night Flights

January 1, 2009HBM

be able to schedule flights throughout the night
increase the number of night flights from 2 a week to 7.7 a night
operate a "Quota Count" system: every plane has a QC number, the louder the plane, the larger the number. The airport wants an annual Quota Count total - a "plane noise budget" for night flights
be able to fly planes up to and including QC4 (a 747 jumbo) at any time throughout the night
apply the night flight Quota Count to planes flying between 11:30pm and 6am, even though the standard definition of "night" is 11pm to 7am.
count the planes that fly to the west of the runway as 50% of their actual QC number, so they can fly twice as many
change the standard fine for rule-breaking to a flat rate of £1,000 - currently, when an aircraft is too loud, too low, or off-course, the fine starts at £1,000 and doubles for each repeat offence.
make the "flat rate" fine of £1,000 apply only over Ramsgate: if the plane is anywhere west of the runway, the fine would be halved to £500

after 10 years, Manston employs just 111 people, some part-time. 61% 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
Manston’s Chief Exec, Charles Buchanan, was at London City airport when it promised thousands of new jobs in return for permission to increase flights by 50%
after 10 years the airport delivered just 23% of the jobs promised; less than 30% of the jobs created went to local people
of the thousands of new jobs promised, less than 7% were actually delivered to local people
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 airport workers tell us they could easily cope with a lot more planes with their existing staff working overtime - it will be years before they go "up a gear" and need to recruit heavily
jobs created at and near airports are heavily outnumbered by jobs lost in the domestic tourism and hospitality industries
in Herne Bay, a new 50-room Premier Inn with 50-seater restaurant created 60 jobs

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
sleep deprivation increases the risk of accidents at home, on the roads and at work
anyone with hearing problems, or who suffers from anxiety or depression, will experience increased suffering
over 8,000 homes in Ramsgate, and more along the flight path, will be directly affected by the increased noise
measurements of "average noise" contours are pointless - it's not the average noise through the night of an alarm clock that wakes you, it's the peak noise (when it goes off)
noise isn't just annoying: it's dangerous, and can even be deadly

W.H.O.'s Night Noise Guidelines for Europe 2009: "... adverse health effects related to night noise [may result from] night noise levels greater than 40 dB (Lnight, outside) when most people are in bed. "
A study of 1 million residents around Cologne airport analysing the effects of aircraft noise identified a significant and clear impact on health: a night-time average sound pressure level of 55 dB increased the risk of heart attacks by 66% in men and 139% in women.
The current proposals will result in 30,000 people being exposed to 85dB or more between the hours of 23:30 and 06:00
the EU is trying to ban night flights because of the health risks
local and central Government both acknowledge that increased noise, air and ground pollution causes major health problems
even if it doesn't wake you up, the noise of night flights can speed up your heart rate, lower your immune system, and increase stress hormones

Munich airport moved from one side of the city to another. Children were tested before and after the move for short- and long-term memory, reaction times and reading skills. Near the old airport the scores went UP, near the new airport the scores went DOWN. [Old site went from 68 to 54 dB(A); new site went from 53 to 62 dB(A).]
research shows that living with aircraft noise impairs the "cognitive development" of children, specifically reading comprehension - schools exposed to high levels of aircraft noise are not healthy educational environments.
reducing a classroom's background noise by 7-9 dB improves children's speech intelligibility and word intelligibility

being under a flight path can knock up to a third off the value of your house, or even make it unsellable
night cargo flights over a seaside town are the kiss of death to any dreams for a regeneration as a tourist destination - hotels, B&Bs, restaurants will all lose out
the real economic gain from night flights won't be jobs for the people of Thanet, but profit for an investment company based in (and paying taxes in) New Zealand.

the UK is supposed to be trying to reduce its carbon footprint to below 2005 levels
exhaust fumes and droplets of aviation fuel fall on Ramsgate houses as the planes throttle back to land
risk to the aquifer, absence of adequate run-off reservoir
7.7 cargo flights a night equals a lot of lorries a night - more pollution, more noise, less sleep

New Zealand-based, multi-billion dollar, multi-national investment company who buy and sell power stations, ferry companies etc. for profit
Infratil bought Manston for £10.3 million five years ago, and has lost more than that since
Infratil aims to make its investors a 20% return, but Manston is a loss maker
Infratil told shareholders this summer that its priorities are energy and transport in New Zealand and Australia - the company’s strategy is to cut losses at Manston by cutting costs
New Zealand financial analysts and investors regard the European airports as a mistake: Infratil's share price went up went it sold Lübeck airport in Germany; and when there were rumours that they were going to sell Manston, the share price rose
we can’t rely on promises by Infratil as they probably hope to sell the airport, and whoever owns it next won't be tied by Infratil's promises

categories Night flights
tags Nutshell