Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by Fleur Anderson (Labour) on Tuesday, 14 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 16 July 2026. It was answered by Keir Mather (Labour) on Monday, 10 August 2026 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Heathrow Airport: Noise

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans she has to increase the length of the night period when local communities are not exposed to aircraft noise from Heathrow.

Answer

The Government sets noise controls at Heathrow which include limits on the number of aircraft movements permitted between 11.30pm and 6am.

The current night flight regime runs from October 2025 to October 2028. Any changes to the regime from October 2028, including changes to the night period, will be subject to a consultation. We aim to publish a consultation on this early next year.

Separately, on 18 June the Department published a public consultation on the draft revised Airports National Policy Statement, now renamed the Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement (HENPS). The draft HENPS sets out requirements on noise mitigation that any successful scheme for expansion should meet, including a scheduled night flight ban of 6.5 hours between the hours of 11pm and 7am.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
18736
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Heathrow Airport Noise Night flying
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk