Heathrow to name and shame noisy airlines

 
P8 Heathrow Airport
Getty

Heathrow Airport will name and shame noisy airlines for the first time.

The west London airport revealed today it plans to rank 80 airlines that use its runways according to how much noise their planes produce during take-off. These findings will then be published every three months on its website.

Heathrow bosses are also in talks over implementing more severe fines if aircrafts break the maximum number of decibels allowed at certain times of day. The highest fine an airline can currently incur is £1,000.

The two-runway airport, which is embroiled in a fierce debate over whether it should expand, said its latest noise reduction measures are part of on-going efforts to work with communities affected by loud aircraft.

However, the plans are likely to be seen as a charm offensive ahead of a renewed expansion campaign. Heathrow recently told the Government that a third runway would be sufficient to solve Britain’s aviation capacity problems for the “foreseeable future”.

However, Colin Matthews, the chief executive of Heathrow, insisted the measures outlined today are “not about adding new runways at Heathrow.”

He added: “Heathrow recognises if it is to grow, a comprehensive package of measures to tackle noise will need to be put forward to ensure there does not have to be a choice between more flights or less noise.”

The airport is also testing other ways of minimising noise, such as aircraft landing at a steeper angle so they don’t fly so low above residential areas. A scheme to insulate nearby schools is also under consideration.

Hounslow councillor Colin Ellar said: “This is a welcome development. Heathrow is moving in the right direction but there’s still more to do. 

"However, it looks as though Heathrow is beginning to listen to the council and residents who have said loudly and clearly in our consultation that they want a better not bigger Heathrow.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in