CONSULTATION WEBSITE
Following extensive engagement with the local community, Farnborough Airport has submitted a New Planning Application to support its medium-term growth requirements to Rushmoor Borough Council.
As one of the largest employment sites in the local area, these proposed changes are essential to support the Airport’s medium-term growth requirements without jeopardising its long-term future. Farnborough Airport is also proposing specific and targeted mitigation measures as well as enhancements to its community funding, including the creation of a new Social Value Fund.
Although the overall response rate to the consultation was modest, the feedback received, while not always directly focused on the proposed condition changes, offered constructive and valuable suggestions. These contributions played an important role in shaping the final application and directly informed positive revisions to the proposals. Notably, these changes include:
- Developing a Local Procurement Strategy to ensure spending delivers measurable value to local businesses and communities.
- Expanding the Social Value Fund to cover locations where properties are impacted by aircraft flying below 4,000 feet.
- Reviewing air quality monitoring to ensure it provides robust, representative data to guide future environmental management and reporting.
- SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2025 – Public consultation
- NOVEMBER 2025 – Planning Application submission
- MARCH 2026 – Development Management Committee
Our application:
The New Planning Application does not seek to increase the Airport’s overall existing annual flight limit of 50,000 flights. It does propose to amend its existing non-weekday flight limit from 8,900 to 13,500 flights per annum. Allowing non-weekday flights to grow at a comparable rate to the rest of the week is essential if Farnborough Airport is to safeguard and further expand its positive economic impact at both a local and national level.
This New Planning Application will retain the Airport’s existing restrictions relating to heavier aircraft, which includes the maximum aircraft weight of 80 tonnes (with a few exceptions) and no more than 1,500 flights per annum from aircraft weighing between 50-80 tonnes. However, the New Planning Application does seek to amend the number of heavier aircraft allowed on non-weekdays, with an increase from the existing limit of 270 to 405 flights, which is consistent with the proposed uplift of non-weekday flights from 8,900 to 13,500.
Additionally, the New Planning Application also proposes a relatively minor amendment such that those aircraft which weigh between 50-55 tonnes and can satisfy the most stringent noise standard, will no longer be included in the Airport’s restricted weight category quotas. This particular change is necessary to support the introduction of more modern and technologically advanced aircraft, which generally have improved environmental performance compared to the older and slightly lighter aircraft they are replacing.
A summary of the headline changes in numbers for the Application are as follows:
| Existing Limits | Application | |
|---|---|---|
| Total annual flights | 50,000 | 50,000 |
| Total annual non-weekday flights | 8,900 | 13,500 |
| Restricted weight category | 50-80 tonnes | 55-80 tonnes* |
| Non-weekday flights within restricted weight category | 270 | 405 |
| Non-weekday hours | 08:00-20:00 | 08:00-20:00 |
*The change from 50 to 55 tonnes would only apply to aircraft which are able to satisfy the most stringent noise standard, aircraft over 50 tonnes which are not able to satisfy the most stringent noise standard will continue to fall within the Airport’s restricted weight quotas.
See Amelia’s story below:
Contact Us
If you have any questions or comments please contact us using:
Email: contact@farnboroughairport2040.com
Phone: 0808 164 6061