Noisy night flight ban proposed by East Midlands Airport

Noisy planes would be banned from taking off or landing at East Midlands Airport (EMA) during the night under new plans. A major hub for freight flights, a noise action plan for 2024 to 2028 is proposing bans on three categories of the noisiest planes (QC4, QC8 and QC16 ratings). The suggested changes also would see penalties to airlines flying louder planes at night increased. A consultation closes on 31 July. The airport said night flights - which are classed as taking place between 23:00 and 07:00 - account for 45% of its operations, and includes passenger services as well as freight. Under the airport's planning conditions, noise must not exceed 55 decibels for more than 16km around the site between those hours. This level of noise currently extends to about a 12km radius of the airport but is forecast to reach 14km by 2025. EMA says it has a freight capacity of 450,000 tonnes a year, forecast to reach 700,000 by 2040, with 9,000 people working across 100 companies on the site, generating £723m and handling 4.7m passengers.<br/>