The Future of Air Transport White Paper

The future development of air traffic in the U K was the consultation which led to the Governments' 'Future of Air Transport White Paper' . The relevant part of the consultation for Heathrow was the part for the 'South East and East'. The Government's White Paper was published in December 2003. The Government are due to report progress on implementing the White Paper by the end of 2006.

Published in December 2003. It introduced the possibility of an additional runway at Heathrow (following SERAS study). If one is to be built, it can only happen  when the poor air quality in the Heathrow area is improved. The airport will be keen to show that the air quality will be improved and that it will not be of detriment to the environment to increase the aircraft movements above the 480,000 limit, which was set as a T5 condition.

However, short term growth made possible by the use of 'mix mode' (which involves the landing and taking off from both runways instead of one of each, as at present). The issue is still under research and it could be 2 or 3 years before the matter is consulted upon.

Future studies associated with airport capacity might include a review of the 'Cranford Agreement' and the operational scheme known as a 'westerly preference'.

One matter of concern is the  issue that Parliament will be asked to amend Section 78 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982, with the intention of removing the limit of the number of flights permitted to fly at night. This is relevant to the current night flight consultation.

Many people will know of the legal action taken by local residents in the European Court of Human Rights - the 'Hatton' case. After an initial win by the residents, the Government managed to win an appeal in July 2003. The win was over the argument in Article 8, where the court agreed that night flights did not breach the right to respect for homes, private and family life. However the Government did not win the argument under Article 13 - the right to an effective remedy, as the 'judicial review' procedure was considered ineffective because it did not allow consideration of whether the increase in night flights was justifiable i.e. proportionate, with a limitation on Article 8 rights. The matter is currently before the Council of Ministers, for determination / enforcement.