No 21: Too many flights over our homes
There are too many flights over our homes. That is the biggest problem for communities. And it is a persistent problem. The noise from the flights can be reduced by the use of less noisy planes and better operational practices. But, as the number of flights have grown in recent decades, the number of flights passing overhead has become the biggest problem for communities.
It can de dealt with by reducing the number of flights allowed to use an airport (as Schiphol is trying to do), by alternating flight paths (as happens at Heathrow in areas close to the airport when planes are landing) or replacement airports can be built away from areas of population.
But doing nothing should not be an option. Aviation can thrive and still allow most communities a break from the noise. It should be a priority.
24 September 2024
No 22: Comparing the cost of air and rail travel
I wanted to compare the cost of air and rail travel. So I pretended I was going on holiday. I settled on a short break in Barcelona before the British winter sets in.
I looked at the cost of getting from London to Barcelona by plane and by train. I booked a month in advance. Depart Monday 28th October. Return Thursday 31st October.
Plane
The cheapest return flight was £ 170 (€ 204). But it would have got me into Barcelona after midnight.
So I decided to pay a bit more: £ 192 (€ 230) return.
Monday: Leave London Gatwick 10.10 Arrive Barcelona 13.15
Thursday: Leave Barcelona 10.45 Arrive London Luton 12.10
Train
I then looked at train prices.
£ 718.59 (€ 860) return
Monday: Leave London 9.31 Arrive Barcelona 21.27
Thursday: Leave Barcelona 8.19 Arrive London 18.57
If I had been prepared to travel overnight the train fare would have been around £ 600 (€ 718) return.
Comment
The train fare from England is higher than it would be from most other European countries because of the very high Eurostar fares, but the difference between air and rail remains huge. There is a strong case for European countries to tax aircraft fuel and use the money to reduce train fares.
30 September 2024
No 23: Millions exposed to aircraft noise across Europe
Millions of people across Europe are exposed to unhealthy levels of aircraft noise. The latest report (1) from the European Environment Agency found 2.3 million people were exposed in 2022 (14.3 million if you use the lower levels of exposure recommended by the World Health Organisation in its 2018 Guidelines). This figure is lower than pre-Covid when the Environment Agency put it at around 3 million. But with the number of planes returning to their pre-Covid levels that number is expected to be reached again shortly.
The figures of course exclude the UK (because of Brexit). That means they exclude Heathrow whose planes fly over more people than any other airport in Europe. The EU has previously estimated that around 700,000 people are exposed to unhealthy levels of noise from Heathrow (the World Health Organisation would put it higher).
Urgent action is required to cut the numbers exposed to unhealthy levels of aircraft noise.
There are a number of things that can be done.
- Reduce the number of planes using the airport (as Schiphol is trying to do)
- Reduce the noise of the aircraft (planes are a lot less noisy than they were 50 years ago but no further step-change is on the horizon)
- Alternate the flight paths. This will mean more people overall hear the noise but fewer are exposed to unhealthy levels.
- Use quieter operating procedures. Some airports are a lot better at this than others. There is no reason why they should not all improve.
- Provide generous compensation and mitigation for those affected.
The EU, as part of its zero pollution action plan, aims to reduce the number of people chronically disturbed by noise from transport by 30% by 2030 (compared with 2017). That is welcome, but should be seen as just the start of the process to cut noise.
(1) https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/indicators/exposure-of-europe-population-to-noise
16 December 2024