Move to lift restrictions on aircraft operating during night
CARGO planes could soon be flying through the night from Robin Hood Airport following the approval of plans to lift some noise restrictions at the Finningley site.
Doncaster Council's Planning Committee has approved variations to planning conditions submitted by Doncaster Sheffield Airport that have previously restricted certain categories of aircraft from operating from the airport at night.
The original planning consent for the airport when it opened almost five years ago set a limit, or noise quota, for the amount of night time noise permitted in a year. Within this limit Quota Count 4 (QC4) aircraft and above, were not permitted to operate during the night between 11pm and 7am.
Operator, Peel Airports Group, has argued that these restrictions have meant it has been unable to attract key cargo operators which need the flexibility to operate occasional flights with QC4 aircraft from the airport at night.
In addition to approving the airport's proposal to lift the current QC4 aircraft restriction, the planning committee also approved proposals put forward by the airport to reduce the overall annual quota count limit by 26 per cent and to restrict numbers of QC4 aircraft movements at night to a maximum of 100 per year.
Controls
The airport also proposed a complete ban on all much noisier QC8 and QC16 aircraft – bringing tighter controls on the noisiest aircraft, which were also approved.
According to a spokesman, Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield sees this decision as vital if it is to capitalise on the opportunities to grow its air freight business, with the potential to create up to 440 jobs and bring a further welcome boost to the local economy.
Mike Morton, Airport Director commented: "This news is another important step in making this airport even more attractive to prospective operators and to realise the potential it has in the air freight industry with the associated economic benefits this will bring for the region.
"Throughout the consultation that took place ahead of today's council decision, we have stressed that this is not about creating increased noise but about giving operators the flexibility to use a mix of aircraft that they need from time to time but within an even tighter level of overall night time noise limits and ensuring that we maintain and enhance our commitment to minimise the Airport's impact on local communities."
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Weather for Thorne
Thursday 24 May 2012
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Temperature: 11 C to 26 C
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