WE WANT TO HEAR YOUR VIEWS
Farnborough Airport recently consulted on a New Planning Application that supports the Airport’s medium-term growth requirements without jeopardising its long-term future.
Supporting the long-term demand for flights from Farnborough Airport is essential if we are to maintain our role as one of the principle economic generators in the region. The Airport supports over 3,000 local jobs and is the UK’s largest business aviation gateway serving London and the South East.
Since submitting the Original Planning Application in 2023 we have been working with stakeholders on a number of technical matters which has involved listening and responding to feedback. Naturally these processes can be extremely lengthy, and we envisage more time will be required to bring these discussions to a satisfactory conclusion.
For this reason, we consulted on a New Planning Application which will support the Airport’s medium-term growth requirements without jeopardising its long-term future. This will give us the opportunity to continue to address the feedback we have received as part of the Original Planning Application.
Our application:
The New Planning Application no longer seeks to increase the Airport’s overall existing annual flight limit of 50,000 flights and instead only proposes 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.
Consistent with the Original Planning Application, the 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.
The New Planning Application does not seek any amendments to the existing operating hours. This was proposed during the consultation for the Original Planning Application but has not been carried forward into the New Planning Application, reflecting some of the feedback the Airport received during its previous consultation process.
A summary of the consultation for the New Planning Application compared to the Original Planning Application consultation is as follows:
*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 with the Airport’s restricted weight quotas.
Watch our animated videos below to find out more about why we’re proposing these changes, the role of Farnborough Airport, and how we’re getting business going.
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