Heathrow disruption woes

Our letter in the Bucks Free Press, 8 May 2020. Read on the Bucks Free Press website or below:

Heathrow disruption woes

With the significant reduction in flights, countless residents around Heathrow are mentioning how clear the air is, the skies are quieter and birdsong can be heard as they truly relax in their gardens for the first time in decades.

It has been a welcome relief for many who, in normal times, have been subjected to the constant barrage of aircraft overhead.

Heathrow recently scaled down the use of the runways with the introduction of mixed mode – arrivals and departures on one runway – with runway use alternating every Monday. This is a temporary measure during the current COVID-19 pandemic which has seen global air travel significantly reduced.

However, rather than be lulled into a false sense of security – air travel will eventually pick up again – we must continue to monitor Heathrow’s operations and hold them to account.

In 2002, mixed mode was mooted in expansion proposals to increase flights from around 480,000 to 540,000. Technological improvements and the introduction of Independent Parallel Approaches could see this figure rise to around 565,000 flights today.

The recent Court of Appeal ruling dealt a significant blow to Heathrow’s third runway expansion proposals, the government had no appetite to challenge the decision but Heathrow was not content to let that judgment prevail and sought leave to appeal through the Supreme Court – a ruling on this is due within weeks.

Regardless of the Supreme Court decision or the impact of COVID-19 on air travel, you can wager Heathrow’s relentless pursuit of expansion will continue.

One way to achieve this would be the introduction of full mixed mode operations on both runways. Some may think that mixed mode would be the lesser of two evils and a solution to Heathrow’s expansion problem.

The reality is mixed mode would bring an end to the current half day respite from aircraft noise, increase in ground noise, increase in road traffic, reduced air quality and, of course, more emissions impacting climate change.

The temporary mixed mode operations must end once COVID-19 restrictions start to ease, not as a way to introduce a form of expansion at Heathrow. We are ready to fight any new battle for expansion at Heathrow.

Geraldine Nicholson, Stop Heathrow Expansion