Zac Goldsmith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will require Heathrow Airport to accept the recommendation of the Civil Aviation Authority that night flights at that airport be banned between 11.00pm and 6.00am before the Government makes a decision on airport expansion.

Mr John Hayes

The Airports Commission shortlisted three airport expansion schemes, two at Heathrow and one at Gatwick. The Government accepted the Commission’s shortlist in December 2015, and has since been undertaking a programme of further work, including on mitigation, to support a decision on a preferred scheme. We are carefully considering the evidence in relation to all three schemes, including the Commission’s comprehensive evidence base and recommendations. These recommendations included a ban on night flights between 1130 and 0600 for its preferred scheme, the Heathrow Northwest Runway. We are aware of no such recommendation from the Civil Aviation Authority.