Biggin Hill lets in older noisy aircraft

4:38pm Friday 9th November 2001

The letter from Mr Lonergan, Airport Director at Biggin Hill, (3 October) needs deeper examination.

Mr Lonergan fails to mention the airport's efforts to weaken the noise limits in the lease by asking the Council to introduce a 'trade off' formula and an 'Approved Aircraft List' that would have let in aircraft exceeding the current limits.

Their application was withdrawn after public protest.

Biggin Hill doesn't permit only “new and quieter types of aircraft.”; they let in many older types, including some that exceed the noise limits.

“Noisy old” Boeing 707s don't use the airport, but other 'noisy old' types, such as the Boeing 737, do.

The airport still refuses the Council access to the Air Traffic Control logs that would assist them to monitor noise limit compliance.

Aircraft on the approach flight-path fly across Farnborough Hospital below 1000ft. This is bad enough with small aircraft, with airliners it's intolerable. The airport's development strategy proposes to substantially change the current 'mix' of flights permitted within the lease. They want to increase the number of commercial airliner flights to 43,100 a year - an average of 118 a day; of these, 8,400 would be by jet airliners! When the hospital was planned and built, Biggin Hill was a minor military airfield jet airliner access was not envisaged. Does Mr Lonergan really believe that “improving sound insulation” is a realistic solution for a maternity unit or operating theatre?

Whilst West Wickham isn't on the published flight paths, 'executive' jets, flying under 'Visual Flight Rules', fre-quently cross this area when joining the 'circuit' to land.

As for the “well publicised procedure for comments and complaints”, the Council are setting up an independent line because of complaints about the airport's system.

Not quite the rosy picture of good neighbourliness that Mr Lonergan portrays!

John Gilbert

Coney Hill Road

West Wickham

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