New night flight plan is agreed

A NEW set of restrictions to night time flights at Birmingham Airport is scheduled to come into force later this year.
At the most recent meeting of Solihull Council's planning committee, members approved a new policy relating to air traffic during the night time period.
The arrangements were agreed following discussions with airport bosses and consultation with the local community.
The council's officers argue that the new policy, which is to replace an agreement last reviewed in 2013, will go further in limiting the impact on communities such as Marston Green.
The report presented to the committee acknowledged that the current set of restrictions did not discriminate between arrivals and departures or take account of noisier aircraft.
With this in mind, the new policy will insist:
1. That there is no increase in the annual number of departures between the hours of 11.30pm-5am.
2. That certain aircraft will not be able to operate between 11.30pm-6am.
3. That the noise limit during the night flying period is reduced from 85dba to 83dba, with a further reduction to 81dba to be considered at a future date.
The new restrictions, which will take effect in October and remain in place until 2021, have been welcomed by a well-known ward councillor.
Coun Jim Ryan (Con, Bickenhill) suggested that the situation had been made easier by advances in technology, which had made for quieter flights in recent years. Nonetheless, he paid tribute to the airport for coming to an agreement which he described as "a major improvement."
In a statement issued earlier this month, an airport spokesman said: "We welcome Solihull Council’s support for the new Night Flying Policy which is in place for the next three years.
"We also thank them for their positive comments about the airport’s approach to community engagement and the way in which it has worked in collaboration with key community representatives throughout this process."