Campaigners today vowed to fight plans to lift a ban on night flights during the Olympics.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has been considering a string of measures to remove controls on London’s airports during the 2012 games to cope with the huge number of visitors from across the world.
Among them is a plan to ease restrictions on flights at Heathrow between 11pm and 6am.
In a statement, MPs Ann and Alan Keen said: “We do not accept that this is necessary.
“Our constituents already cope with the difficulties of living under the flight paths. They have to carry on with their busy lives as they always do.
“They will probably be faced with additional traffic problems and for them to have to lose hours of sleep is asking too much.”
Susan Kramer, MP for Richmond Park, has tabled questions in Parliament to ask the Department of Transport (DfT) for urgent clarification.
She said: “It is absolutely outrageous that the Olympics are being used to sneak the lifting of the ban on night flights through the back door.”
Councillor Barbara Reid, lead member for environment at Hounslow Council, said west Londoners already suffered from about 16 flights every night.
She said: “I’m very supportive of the Olympic Games but I’m sure there are other ways around it.”
The CAA said its proposal to increase Heathrow night flights was one of many it suggested to the DfT as part of its Olympic strategy.
A CAA spokesman said the DfT would ultimately decide whether to implement the changes.
He said: “Local authorities will be consulted, there will be a lot of discussion over the next three years on how to cope with extra air traffic in the south-east.”
John Stewart, chairman of campaign group Hacan, described the proposals as “shocking”, and warned: “It will be even worse if some of these new measures stay in place for ever and a day.”
Murad Qureshi, chairman of the London Assembly’s environment committee, said: “Enduring weeks of sleepless nights is simply too much to ask of people. The CAA needs to look at other ways of handling the extra visitors.”
A spokesman for the DfT said: “The Government is working with the CAA, National Air Traffic Services and aviation industry stakeholders to look at all aspects of airspace management for the 2012 games. This work is at an early stage and no firm decisions have been made.”
q London Assembly member Tony Arbour raised concerns that the Government approved a third runway at Heathrow after comparing predicted noise levels with those when Concorde was still in use.
He claimed 2002 was used as the benchmark year and accused the DfT of being “disingenuous”.
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