Bill Mulcahy http://pages.prodigy.net/rockaway/ACNewsmenu.htm
MAR 29, 2000, M2 Communications - The European Court of Human Rights is to
consider whether night flights to London's Heathrow airport are violating
nearby resident's rights to sleep undisturbed.
The case is reportedly a test case in the field of noise pollution and the
British Government will have to explain why it should be allowed to disturb
the night sleep for about 1m people living in the Heathrow area.
In 1993, the British government decided that 16 flights would be allowed
between 0400GMT and 0600GMT and that there would be no restrictions between
6am and 7am. Representatives for the people who live under the flight routes
have been fighting the decision ever since and will now be heard by the
court.
The outcome of the court hearing is likely to have implications beyond the
UK, especially if the government has to cut the noise levels, as many
airports in continental Europe have far less strict regulations on night
flights and some have no restriction at all. For example, Frankfurt airport
in Germany is allowed up to 500 flights per night and Paris' Charles de
Gaulle have no restrictions.
Airlines have also pointed out that some flights will have to arrive during
the night or early morning hours as the departure times from some
destinations would otherwise have to be set for inconvenient hours. Although
some flights may be rescheduled, it is not possible to change all flights.
The British government is expected to maintain that allowing night flights
is essential for the economy and that during a normal night there will only
be about 15 flights arriving.
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