I have been in correspondence with Heathrow Airport about the impact of excessive aircraft noise on behalf of constituents. I enclose a copy of the reply I received from them:
Dear John,
Thank you for your email. As you will be aware, Wokingham is mainly overflown by arrivals when the airport is on easterly operations (i.e. when the wind blows from the east) when making their way from Heathrow’s holding stacks before joining the final approach to the airport. After experiencing a prolonged period of westerly winds last weekend’s change to easterlies may explain why you and your constituents have noticed more aircraft. I wish to assure your constituents that the overall pattern and heights of Heathrow’s air traffic have not changed for many years.
There are currently no defined routes from Heathrow’s holding stacks to the final approach, although flights follow a similar broad swathe. However, your constituents may be interested to know that as part of Heathrow’s expansion proposals we are seeking feedback on our plans for ‘airspace alternation’. By alternating our airspace, we will be able to provide respite for communities further away from the airport as well as those closer in. In January we launched our Airspace and Future Operations public consultation which gives residents the chance to have their say on this topic, along with other topics, so I would encourage your constituents to respond. The consultation is open until 4 March 2019. More information can be found on our dedicated Heathrow consultation website here: https://www.heathrowconsultation.com/.
I hope that this is helpful. Should your constituents have further questions then they are very welcome to contact our Community Relations team directly on 0800 344 844 or by email noise@heathrow.com.
Kind regards,
Connor
Community Relations Manager