Heathrow may be quieter by degrees

Almost a quarter of a million Londoners living under the Heathrow flight path could see levels of noise pollution fall by as much as 25% amid plans to bring aircraft in to land at a steeper angle.

Willie Walsh, chief executive of the company that owns British Airways, said Londoners could enjoy a “significant” reduction in jet noise if it is successful in attempts at tweaking the angle that flights come in to land from 3 degrees to 3.2 degrees.

“Noise reduction will make a big difference to London,” Walsh said. “We’re looking at steeper flight paths and moving the normal touch down point forward, so that we fly over higher altitudes for more of the landing route and disperse the noise.”

Walsh added: “Changing the traditional, 3-degree flight slope to 3.2 degrees will have make a significant difference.”

The airline boss said BA’s new fleet of aircraft — it will be flying new Boeing 787 Dreamliners and Airbus A380 super-jumbos from next year — would also cut noise.

“They are significantly quieter,” he said. “The measures could make quite a difference to those who live close to the airport.”

The initiative comes a month after Heathrow started a trial of managing flight paths for aircraft landing between 4.30am and 6am. It is trying week-on/week-off noise relief for neighbourhoods including Clapham, Bermondsey and Westminster.