National Air Traffic Services Limited (NATS), the UK's largest provider of air traffic control services, has responded to concerns over to flightpaths to deal with busier skies that could affect tens of thousands of homes in the south east.
NATS is drawing together a proposal for changes to the airspace north of London, which will cover both Luton and Stansted Airport. John Stewart, chair of HACAN Clearskies, a campaign group fighting airport expansion, said: 'There is no doubt that many people will find themselves under a busy flightpath for the first time as a result of these changes. If it was a new motorway, there would be a full public inquiry. Because it is a flightpath, there is only three months' consultation. That is just not acceptable. A lot of people will be very angry.'
However, NATS say that its plan is in its early stages and is months away from a design fit for consultation. Jane Johnston, head of external communications for NATS, added: 'At the heart of our redesign work is provision for continuous descent approaches, a procedure pioneered by NATS. This will considerably reduce the noise impact on people living below flightpaths. We will also make more efficient use of the airspace to minimise delay and therefore fuel burn and emissions.'
'Terminal Control North, airspace north of London, does not include the Heathrow stacks and will not lead to an expansion in the total landmass over flown. We are not seeking to avoid a wide public debate. We do not yet have a timetable for this consultation although we hope to have a proposal on which to consult, towards the end of this year.'
A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority, the industry's regulator, said it was not involved in the work but if NATS wished to proceed they would need to undertake a full consultation.