Heathrow releases noise league table
A new report released by Heathrow ranks British Airways' short-haul fleet as the quietest flying to the west London airport.
The latest Heathrow Fly Quiet league table also shows the impact of the airport’s policies incentivising airlines to fly their cleanest and quietest aircraft to Heathrow as the number of super-quiet Airbus A350 flights doubled and Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights have risen by 19%.
Qatar Airways last week became the third carrier to fly the super-quiet Airbus plane, which made its debut last year, joining Finnair and Ethiopian on the London route, increasing the daily number of A350 flights to six. The A350’s noise footprint is about 50% smaller than its predecessor models and is contributing to a better noise environment for local communities. Twenty-one of Heathrow’s airlines have ordered A350s.
Meanwhile, Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights increased from 6,300 to 7,500 over the three-month period to October.
British Airways short-haul – the airport’s biggest – is also the quietest fleet flying into Heathrow, with the UK’s flag carrier reporting exceptional performance thanks to noise-reducing enhancements to its fleet of Airbus A320 planes and operating procedures that take noise over the ground into consideration.
Singapore Airlines climbed 21 places to 19th thanks to its use of quieter aircraft and improved procedures.
Commenting on the report, Heathrow’s Chief Executive, John Holland-Kaye said: “The Fly Quiet programme helps airlines improve their noise performance and provides incentives for them to fly their newest, quietest aircraft to Heathrow, helping the airport be a better neighbour.
“We will continue to work with airlines and local communities to be a leader in sustainable aviation.”