Luton airport has suggested a new flight path meant to avoid the densely populated St Albanas area. The proposed flight path is going to be 2 Kilometres wide. If this proposed path by Luton is accepted, the aircraft noises that have been experienced in the surrounding areas will significantly reduce.
The decision by the airport to change its path comes after protests that had been carried out by campaigners from the surrounding areas. The campaigners complained about the excessive noise caused by flights using the runway closer to St Albanas area. After carefully considering their pleas, the operators decided it would be appropriate to reduce the width of the route over the district from 3 to 2 kilometres. The operators also want the aircrafts to fly on higher altitudes of 4000 ft over densely populated areas as opposed to the current altitude.
The managing director at Luton airport agrees with these new plans. Mr. Glyn Jones said that it’s important to protect the local communities surrounding the airport from excessive noise that causes inconviences. Apart from the fact that the local community would significantly benefit from this new path the airport will also benefit. With the new flight path, 885 tonnes of carbon Dioxide and 290 tonnes of fuel would be saved each year.
The airport had already done trials on the proposed path with planes flying 210 and 220 knots. The trials showed positive chances of aircrafts flying successfully and consistently. The proposal will affect aircrafts leaving Luton to the west that is along the Clacton and Dover routes. If the proposal is approved by the civil aviation authority, any airline going against the set standards will be penalised by Luton airport. Implementing this proposed new flight path will see the number of flights drop by about 80% from the current numbers.