A Bitterne Park Residents’ Association representative has welcomed the news that night flights at Southampton Airport are apparently still off the agenda.
The Airport Consultative Committee – which aims to link Southampton Airport with the community – has submitted a response to The Airports Commission, a government body which “examines the need for additional UK airport capacity”, saying it would be concerned about the likely adverse effects of, and likely local opposition to, significant expansion, including any introduction of night flights.
By agreement under the 106 Town & Country Planning Act between Eastleigh Borough Council and the owners of the airport, the airport is closed for flights during night hours, from 11pm to 6am (7.30am on Sunday). The agreement does allow for 10 night flights per month and 100 in a year.
Mrs Mary Finch (right), Bitterne Park Residents’ Association rep on The Airport Consultative Committee, welcomed “the decision to uphold the 106 agreement” which she said “was backed by both the Airport and the Council”.
Keeping watch
“Your representative keeps a very close eye on all night flights. We fought hard back in the early nineties for these controls and I am sure that most people are right behind me in keeping night flights at the lowest level possible,” she said.
Tony Wright from Eastleigh Borough Council, who also sits on the The Airport Consultative Committee and who was involved with producing its submission to the Airports Commission, said that night flights “are not on the airport’s agenda at all,” and confirmed that they wouldn’t be necessary to increase capacity.
“As far as I’m concerned, nationally the Airports Commission is of importance. Locally, in terms of Southampton Airport, it’s of no great significance. That was the substance of my report,” said Mr Wright.
Numbers not rising
In fact, the airport isn’t meeting the number of passengers previously predicted: its ‘Master Plan’ of 2005 (later revised in 2006) published by then owner BAA when there were 1.84 million passengers, anticipated that by 2015 three million passengers would be passing through. By 2030 we were to expect double that number – without scheduled night flights.
But in 2012, 1.7 million used it, a figure which was slightly lower than in 2011.
FlyBe – whose largest hub is Southampton – has been “flying further into the red”, “blaming lower demand for domestic flights, high fuel bills and airport charges,” according to The Independent
An update to the airport’s masterplan is expected in due course.