Government extend night flights consultation (again!)
The Government have extended the deadline for responses to the current night flights consultation from 31st May until 3rd September 2021. This is so evidence from the Civil Aviation Authority’s Survey of Noise Attitudes 2014: Aircraft Noise and Sleep report (“SoNA Sleep”), can be taken into account.
Night flights constantly affect thousands of people across large swathes of London and the Thames Valley. Being disturbed by these flights has major negative health implications for both physical and mental health and so any fresh evidence on these impacts is welcome.
Here is the Department for Transport’s communication on 18 May 2021 to those who have already submitted a response:
Dear Respondent,
Thank you for submitting a response to the government consultation on night flight restrictions.
I email to advise that the closing date for the consultation has now been extended to 3 September 2021 (23:59 hours).
The Department received requests from stakeholders to extend the consultation deadline to allow them to incorporate evidence expected to be available within the next three months in their consultation responses. This includes the CAA’s Survey of Noise Attitudes 2014 : Aircraft Noise and Sleep report (“SoNA Sleep”), which is now expected to be published early in the summer.
Extending the consultation into early September will allow respondents the time needed to consider and comment in detail in light of this further research.
The consultation webpage will be updated to show the revised closing date. The webpage can be found at the following link:
In case you had further comment to make on the consultation, I wanted to make you aware that this additional time for responses is now available.
Kind regards
Department for Transport
This publication of this report will provide a truer picture of the level of disturbance experienced by residents from aircraft noise at night than was previously available. The report is currently being peer-reviewed and is expected to be published in the summer, though a precise date is not given.
Don’t worry if you have already responded to the consultation - your evidence will still be taken into account and the method of submitting responses remains the same, by emailing night.flights@dft.gov.uk. Keep tuned for further updates when we have reviewed the new evidence. You can then submit additional comments based on this fresh evidence until 3rd September.
Stop Heathrow Expansion are asking for night flights to be banned completely to allow for an 8-hour period where residents are not disturbed. The time has come for your health to be prioritised. Were the Government to make such a shift, it would be a tangible improvement for everyone affected.
The consultation has 71 questions. For most people, responding in full is not possible; we understand that. We welcome the Government’s detailed approach as they are undertaking the first meaningful review of night flights policy since 2006. We have therefore responded in full on all the themes, but we have also written a short response below – about health implications of night flights – which should help you make your views known to the Government; it is important to do so.
The aviation industry will argue for the supposed economic benefits night flights bring, but for residents the main implications of night flights are negative effects on physical and mental health, caused by disturbance during the night and very early hours of the morning.
The full consultation documents can be found here.
You can send the Government your views by emailing night.flights@dft.gov.uk – remember to include your name and address. The consultation closes on 3rd September 2021.
Suggested response to send to the Department for Transport
Extremely large numbers of people have put up with night flights for too long – it is time to give us back a good night’s sleep.
I agree with World Health Organisation guidelines which strongly recommend that people get 8 hours sleep per night. However, the current night flights regime for Heathrow, which has been in place for many years, does not allow for this vital break from noise.
Because of late evening flights many residents are unable to get to sleep until well after midnight and are then being woken by planes scheduled to arrive from as early as 4.30am. If they arrive early, we have even less undisturbed sleep. In the immediate area around Heathrow, so many people like me are kept awake not only by departing and arriving aircraft but also from the noise created by ground operations generated by these night flights.
I have serious concerns about the effects of constant sleep disturbance on my, and my family’s, health. Evidence, including work by the World Health Organisation, shows that disturbance by night flights can cause or exacerbate conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cognitive and hearing impairments, tinnitus, high blood pressure (including in children); children’s learning is also affected.
I do not believe evidence of the negative impacts to quality of life, mental wellbeing, and the onset of anxiety and depression has been adequately considered. It appears that consideration has really only been given to the airlines and airport operators who seek to financially benefit from operating these flights, which bring little to no additional economic benefits to the country. Mental and physical health impacts must be adequately considered and public health must take priority.
The previous and existing approach is unfair; it continues to inadequately consider public health costs and must change.