Britain to Reduce Night Takeoffs at Heathrow Airport
The British government said Friday that it plans to cut the number of flights allowed to take off from London’s Heathrow Airport at night in response to complaints about sleep-disturbing noise.
In a written statement to the House of Commons, Transportation Secretary Paul Channon said he has proposed that the annual quota of night flights from Heathrow be cut by 16%, from 6,800 to 5,750.
In addition, Channon proposed a ban on takeoffs by older, noisier aircraft between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. He said similar noise-reduction measures were being considered for Gatwick, London’s second-largest airport.
The government said the proposals will be discussed with airport and airline officials before a final decision is made. The new regulations are due to go into effect on April 1, 1988.
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