2 Introduction. Security, safety and responsibly managing our environmental impact are always our top priorities. Contents:

Transcription

1 F L I G H T P E R F O R M A N C E T E A M R E P O R T

2 2 Introduction Contents: Section A Air Traffic Movement data 3 Section B Night flights 5 Section C Arrivals and departures 9 Section D Aircraft noise 17 Section E Complaints 19 Glossary of terms 21 Gatwick Airport is the UK s second largest airport and the busiest single-runway international airport in the world. It has about 90 airlines serving more than 200 destinations in 90 countries. During 2012 around 34 million passengers passed through the airport. It is also a major economic driver for the South-East region, generating around 23,000 on-airport jobs and a further 13,000 jobs through related activities. The airport is 28 miles south of London with excellent public transport links. Gatwick Airport is owned by a group of international investment funds, of which Global Infrastructure Partners is the controlling shareholder. Over the next 10 years we want Gatwick to become London s airport of choice, delivering great service to more than 40 million passengers each year. Security, safety and responsibly managing our environmental impact are always our top priorities. About this report This report is produced by Gatwick s Flight Performance Team (FPT). This team is responsible for recording, investigating and responding to aircraft noise enquiries as well as monitoring airline compliance to noise mitigation measures as detailed in the UK Aeronautical Information Publication (UK AIP). This department also actively engages with the airlines to improve their adherence to the above noise mitigation measures and in addition manages the night-time restrictions on flying at Gatwick. This report contains detailed data on aircraft activity at Gatwick including the fleet mix, direction of operation of the airport, the number and types of night flights that took place, aircraft adherence to the noise mitigation measures detailed in the UK AIP and also an analysis of complaints received during the year. The majority of this data is circulated throughout the year to various committees including the Flight Operations Performance & Safety Committee (FLOPSC), the Noise & Track Monitoring Advisory Group (NaTMAG) and the Gatwick Airport Consultative Committee (GATCOM). For further information contact the Flight Performance Team: Freephone: Address: noise.line@gatwickairport.com Flight Performance Team Destinations Place Gatwick Airport West Sussex RH6 0NP

3 3 Section A: Air Traffic Movement data This section of Gatwick s FPT Report provides detailed statistics on the number and types of aircraft operating in and out of the airport, as well as relevant information about runway usage and westerly-easterly operations during 2012 and previous years. Table A1 shows the average number of aircraft movements per day at Gatwick during the past three years. Overall in 2012 there was a decrease of about 2% in aircraft movements from 251,500 to 246,792. As tends to be the case at Gatwick, the peak months were from July to September when on average there were more than 780 movements per day. Table A2 shows a breakdown of movements by aircraft type. In recent years increasing numbers of modern aircraft have operated at the airport and that trend continued in The Airbus 319, which is the main aircraft used by EasyJet, Gatwick s largest operator, was again the aircraft type with the greatest number of movements. There were also increased movements from the next three most popular planes flying from Gatwick, namely the Boeing , the Airbus 320 and the Boeing Both the Airbus 380 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner made visits to Gatwick during the year. A dedicated stand for A380s is now operational at the airport. The number of movements by Embraer ERJ195s, introduced at the airport by Flybe in 2007, continued to rise in And, in keeping with the trend of recent years, there were fewer movements by older, noisier planes. Table A2 Annual aircraft movements by aircraft type Aircraft Type Airbus ,484 78,869 74,948 Airbus ,359 32,930 42,112 Boeing ,032 33,868 31,931 Boeing ,915 19,543 23,671 DHC-8/Dash 8-300/400 18,665 13,679 11,727 Boeing ,532 14,044 10,761 Boeing 777 7,378 7,959 8,734 Airbus 321 9,214 6,823 7,605 Embraer ERJ195 9,528 9,776 5,373 Airbus 330 5,316 4,923 4,645 Embraer EMB ,964 ATR 72 3,240 3,834 3,716 Boeing ,207 3,875 3,694 Boeing ,607 5,449 2,853 Boeing ,147 2,236 1,913 Airbus 300 1,690 1,813 1,595 Boeing ,183 1,198 1,062 Boeing ,100 2,586 1,000 Boeing , Others Canadair Jet 1,796 1, Cessna Citation Boeing Feighter 445 Fokker Airbus Airbus Gulfstream Dassault Falcon Hawker Bombardier Chall 132 Boeing Learjet Arvoliner RJ series Airbus Embraer EMB Embraer EMB MD 80 all series Boeing Illyushin IL DC10 all series M Boeing Boeing Boeing Total 240, , ,811* *These figures are taken from the airport s stand allocation system and will differ slightly from runway movements. Table A1 Average number of aircraft movements per day January February March April May June July August September October November December Table A3 Monthly runway modal split, 2012 Month Movements Westerly Easterly January 17, % 25.9% February 16, % 35.2% March 18, % 44.6% April 20, % 39.6% May 22, % 46.0% June 22, % 34.0% July 24, % 13.1% August 25, % 17.8% September 23, % 12.3% October 21, % 43.7% November 16, % 18.2% December 17, % 16.8%

4 4 Tables A3 and A4 show how the direction of the airport s operations varies from month to month due to wind direction. In 2012, the highest percentage of westerly operations was in September and the highest easterly usage was in May. The westerly-easterly split for 2012 was 71% in favour of westerly operations, which is comparable to the long-term average of 70% in favour of westerly operations. In any given month, the percentage of westerly operations can vary dramatically and there has been no set pattern over the years as Table A4 shows. The month with the highest percentage of westerly operations since 1998 occurred in December 2011 and similarly high figures were recorded in July 2010 and August The lowest percentage of westerly operations remains May Table A4 Variations in monthly runway modal split, April 1998-December 2012 Month Highest Westerly Lowest Westerly Range January % % 47.1% February % % 45.3% March % % 30.3% April % % 46.6% May % % 71.8% June % % 35.6% July % % 39.3% August % % 42.8% September % % 48.6% October % % 50.5% November % % 28.7% December % % 50.3% Table A5 shows the annual westerly-easterly split over the last six years. The average split in 2012 operations was 71.3% westerly and 28.3% easterly, which is slightly higher than the previous year. Northern runway use During any given year of Gatwick s operations, there are occasions when the main runway is temporarily closed for use, for example during maintenance projects. When this happens, operations are switched to the northern (standby) runway. The two runways are not used simultaneously. Table A5 Annual split in easterly and westerly operations (%) 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Westerly Easterly Table A6 shows northern runway usage over the past six years. In 2012, there was a significant increase in the usage of the runway on previous years, both in terms of the number of days it was used and the number of movements. This was due to the main runway being resurfaced over the course of several months from April to October. Most of these works took place during the evening and night time between 21:30 and 04:30. Usage of the northern runway, particularly during the night period, usually has an adverse affect on Gatwick s joining point and Continuous Descent Approach performance (CDA reduces noise from arriving aircraft by keeping them higher for longer). The reason for the adverse effect is that the northern runway is not equipped with Instrument Landing System (ILS) equipment. Aircraft go-arounds On some occasions it is not possible for an inbound aircraft to land. In these circumstances the aircraft will abort the landing, carrying out a procedure known as a go-around. There are a number of reasons for go-arounds but the most common are when arriving aircraft are slow to leave the runway, departing aircraft are slow to roll and when some aircraft are unstable in the final stages of their approach due to adverse weather conditions. Table A6 Use of northern runway Year Days used Movements % of annual movements , , , , , Table A7 Aircraft go-arounds Year Go-arounds % of total arrivals Table A7 shows aircraft go-arounds for the past six years. The increase in go-arounds during 2012 was due to the large number of flights that used the northern runway, which is not equipped with an ILS.

5 5 Section B: Night flights Night flights are classified as those which take off and land between 23:00 and 07:00 (known as the night restrictions period). Government restrictions specify that between 23:30 and 06:00 (known as the night quota period), aircraft movements are restricted by both a movements limit and a noise quota. During the night quota period, a limited number of flights are allowed and the noisiest aircraft are not allowed to fly. This system encourages the airlines who do want to fly at night to use quieter, more modern aircraft. The noise quota of an individual type of aircraft is based on its official certification data, with separate classifications for landing and take-off in the form of quota count (QC) values. Table B1 shows the different QC categories. The new night restriction period, which began in 2006/07, established a new QC0.25 category which reclassified some QC0.5 and QC0 aircraft as QC0.25. In general terms, the smaller or newer the aircraft, the lower its QC value will be. For each aircraft type, the departure QC tends to be higher than that for arrival. The total number of all aircraft movements in the night quota period over the last 24 seasons is shown in Table B2 (see next page). The table is subdivided into arrivals and departures and the totals include all aircraft subject to movement and quota limits, as well as those exempt or granted dispensation. In the 2012 period the number of night quota period movements was similar to those in 2011 but remained well below the number of night quota movements in the season from The number of movements during the 2012/13 season was slightly higher than the previous year, which represented the smallest number of winter night flights for ten years. Planes with a QC0 classification are also known as exempt aircraft as they do not count against either the movement or QC limits. Aircraft can also be granted a dispensation to operate during the night quota period but only in special circumstances. Table B1 QC categories Certificated noise level (EPNdB) Quota count QC Less than to to to to to to Greater than Tables B3 and B4 show exempt aircraft and dispensed movements. The significant reduction in the overall number of movements from the 2006/07 season onwards shown in Table B3 is the result of some previously exempt aircraft being reclassified as QC0.25 aircraft. In the 2012 and 2012/13 periods there were similar numbers of exempt night-time movements to the previous year. Table B4 shows that in the 2012/13 season, as in the previous year, there were no flight dispensations granted by the Department for Transport (DfT). Dispensations can be allowed for exceptional reasons such as alleviating terminal congestion or preventing passenger hardship, based on DfT guidelines. Movement limits and noise quotas The usage and allocation of night movements and quota counts for the previous 22 seasons are shown in Tables B5 and B6. The 2006/07 season was the first to operate under the DfT s new quotas and movement limits and the figures from that season onwards include the new QC0.25 category. The introduction of the new quota and movement limits meant a reduction in the number of movements permitted and QC allowance. Figure B7 shows that compared to 2011 the average QC rating remained relatively stable and continued the trend for quieter aircraft used at night. However in the 2012/13 season there was an increase in the average QC rating. Compared to the previous years, there were a similar number of QC0.25 and QC2 movements but there was an increase in the number of QC0.5 and QC1 types of aircraft. As a result, in percentage terms, the overall QC rating for 2012/13 has increased. Table B8 (on page 8) shows a breakdown of night movements and QC usage by category from 2007 onwards. As already mentioned, more airlines are now operating in the QC0.25 category. Although QC4 aircraft can still operate at night, they have not been allowed to operate scheduled flights during this period since October There were no QC4 movements during the 2012 or 2012/13 seasons. Table B9 (on page 7) shows the percentage of movements in each QC category over the past 22 seasons. Compared to the previous corresponding seasons, 2012 saw a small decrease in the percentage of QC0.25 and QC2 movements but an increase in QC0.5 and QC1 usage. Around 80% of all movements were classified as QC0.5 or below. The 2012/13 season saw a reduction in QC0.25 and QC2 usage and increases in QC0.5 and QC1 usage. Just under 75% of movements in the season were rated at QC0.5 or less.

6 6 Table B2 Arrivals and departures in the night quota period % % Season Arrivals Departures Total arrivals departures Weeks ,812 2,726 11, /02 2, , ,457 2,488 9, /03 2, , ,352 2,151 9, /04 2, , ,451 2,227 10, /05 2, , ,061 2,077 11, /06 2, ,442 1,873 11, /07 2, , ,866 1,416 10, /08 2, , ,883 1,735 10, /09 1, , ,084 1,371 9, /10 2, , ,893 1,102 9, /11 1, , ,448 1,496 9, /12 1, , ,616 1,313 9, /13 1, , Table B3 Exempt aircraft movements Season Movements / / / / / / / / / / /13 53 Table B4 Dispensations Year Number of dispensations 2001/ / / / / / / / / / / /13 0 Table B5 Night movements limits and usage Movements Actual Percentage use Season limit movements of movements ,200 9, /03 5,250 2, ,200 8, /04 5,250 2, ,200 10, /05 5,250 3, ,200 10, /06 5,250 3, ,200 10, /07 3,250 2, ,200 10, /08 3,250 2, ,200 10, /09 3,250 2, ,200 9, /10 3,250 2, ,200 9, /11 3,250 2, ,200 9, /12 3,250 1, ,200 9, /13 3,250 1,

7 7 Table B6 Night QC allocation and usage Season QC allocation QC use % use ,060 6, /03 6,660 2, ,030 6, /04 6,640 2, ,000 7, /05 6,640 2, ,000 8, /06 6,640 2, ,000 7, /07 2,300 1, ,700 5, /08 2,240 1, ,600 5, /09 2,180 1, ,500 4, /10 2,120 1, ,400 4, /11 2,060 1, ,300 4, /12 2, ,200 4, /13 2,000 1, Figure B7 Average QC per movement by season / / / / / / / / / / / / / / Table B9 Percentage movements by QC category Season QC0.25 QC0.5 QC1 QC2 QC4 QC8 QC16 Earlies 2001 n/a /02 n/a n/a /03 n/a n/a /04 n/a n/a /05 n/a n/a / *n/a *n/a 2007/ *n/a *n/a 2008/ *n/a *n/a 2009/ *n/a *n/a 2010/ *n/a , *n/a 2011/ *n/a *n/a 2012/ *n/a *Earlies no longer counted in new regime

8 8 Table B8 Night movements and QC usage, by QC category Category Movements Movements Quota Quota / / , , , Total: 10,173 2,929 5, , Category Movements Movements Quota Quota / / , , , , , , Total: 10,618 2,145 5,644 1,169 Category Movements Movements Quota Quota / / ,340 1,147 1, , , , , * Total: 9,097 2,097 4, ,452.7 Category Movements Movements Quota Quota / / ,838 1,073 1, , , , , Total: 9,875 2,160 4,824 1, Category Movements Movements Quota Quota / / , , , , , , Total: 9,859 1,411 4, Category Movements Movements Quota Quota / / , , , , , , Total: 9,837 1,601 4, * Unclassified military aircraft

9 9 Section C: Arrivals and departures As Gatwick is a designated airport, the Department for Transport (DfT) has overall responsibility for its noise policies. The DfT has established a number of key procedures and measures to help minimise the disturbance caused by aircraft taking off and landing at all UK airports. Gatwick s Flight Performance Team (FPT) plays a key role in monitoring and enhancing its performance against these procedures and measures. Figures C1 and C2 below show a typical day of westerly and easterly operations at Gatwick. These maps show that the operational patterns for arriving aircraft (shown in red) are very different to those for departing aircraft (green). It should always be remembered that Gatwick does not operate in isolation its day-to-day operations are integrated with traffic travelling to and from other airports. If you would like to find out more information about specific aircraft flights flying over where you live, visit enter your postcode and you will be able to access detailed information. Figure C1 Gatwick westerly operations typical day Departing aircraft All aircraft departing from Gatwick follow one of a number of Noise Preferential Routes (NPRs) on leaving the runway. The way that track deviations are recorded was changed in October Prior to this date, aircraft that were instructed to leave the NPR early by Air Traffic Control, due to weather avoidance; and propeller-driven aircraft that were not required to follow the normal NPRs, were not included within the statistics. This has contributed to the increase in deviations from 2009 onwards compared to previous years. Traditionally, most of Gatwick s deviations take place on the westerly LAM route as a result of technical issues. Table C3 (on page 10) shows the annual average of on-track aircraft as a percentage of departures from the westerly and easterly runways over the last five years. In 2012, there was a slight improvement in the track-keeping performance on the westerly runway (26) and a slight decrease on the easterly runway (08). There was a greater percentage of deviations on westerly routes during 2012 due to ongoing technical issues on the 26LAM route. This route has the tightest turn of all the NPRs and in terms of track keeping represents the greatest challenge for modern aircraft operating at Gatwick. Table C4 shows track deviations by airlines operating from Gatwick in 2012 and Table C5 shows track deviations by aircraft type over the last two years. Table C5 shows that Gatwick s largest airlines EasyJet, British Airways and Flybe all continue to have above average track-keeping performances. Figure C2 Gatwick easterly operations typical day Track deviations tend to come from larger types of aircraft that climb slower and take longer to reach their designated heights. The A319 remains the most widely used aircraft at Gatwick and in 2012 there were only 489 deviations from 37,475 departures. Propeller-driven aircraft are now included in track deviation statistics, hence the inclusion of the DHC-8 Dash 8-400/300. These aircraft are not required to adhere to the NPRs and may be vectored off by ATC but these are still recorded in track-keeping deviations. Overall there was a very small improvement in track-keeping performance in 2012.

10 10 Table C3 Annual average of on-track aircraft as percentage of departures by runway direction Year Runway 26 (Westerly) Runway 08 (Easterly) Table C4 Track deviations by airline Total Total % departures deviations on track Airline EasyJet 47, British Airways 21, Flybe 10, Thomson Airways 6, Monarch Airlines 5, Norwegian Air Shuttle 4, Ryanair 3, Thomas Cook Airlines 3, Aer Lingus 2, Others 2, Virgin Atlantic Airways 2, Aurigny Air Service 1, TAP Air Portugal 1, Emirates 1, Air Europa Air Transat Meridiana Fly S.p.a Lufthansa Turkish Airlines Air Berlin Ukraine International Air Baltic Air Malta US Airways Air One Spa Strategic Airlines SA Iceland Express Croatia Airlines Vietnam Airlines Rossiya Russian Airline Jet2.com Belavia Belarussian Airline Cimber Air S/A Hong Kong Airlines Air China Estonian Air Korean Airlines All airlines 123,394 2,

11 11 Table C5 Track deviations by all aircraft by aircraft type Departures Deviations % on track Departures Deviations % on track Aircraft type A319 39, , A320 16, , B , , B , , DHC-8/Dash8-400/300 6, , B757 6, , A321 3, , B777 3, , EMB195/190 5, , A330 2, , EMB , ATR 72 (prop) 1, , B , , B , , B , , Others , A B B , Canadair RJ Fokker Gulfstream Cessna Citation A Dassault Falcon H Learjets EMB135/ Avro RJ 0 n/a n/a B Canadair CL600/601/ BA MD81/82/ B A n/a B n/a Illyushin n/a MD87/88 0 n/a n/a 0 0 n/a Totals 125,120 3, ,394 2,

12 12 When planes deviate from the NPRs, the relevant airlines are notified and their ongoing performance is monitored by Gatwick s Flight Operations Performance and Safety Committee (FLOPSC). The Flight Performance Team continues to work with Gatwick s airlines to improve track-keeping performances. Arriving aircraft Although there are no set routes for arriving aircraft there are long-established procedures to mitigate the disturbance that they can cause when landing. These procedures focus on night-time operations and are aimed at keeping the aircraft as high as possible for as long as possible. For example, there are specific distances and heights that aircraft need to maintain on the final approach or instrument landing system (ILS). Collectively, these distances and heights are known as the joining point criteria. Between 23:30 and 06:00, aircraft must not join the ILS below 3,000 feet or closer than ten nautical miles (nm). Table C6 shows the joining point criteria adherence from 2008 to In 2012 more aircraft joined the ILS closer than 11nautical miles (nm) than the three previous years and the percentage average for 2012 was down on the previous three years. Since June 2007 the data has been collected in a slightly different way following the introduction of a new noise and track-keeping system. Table C7 shows consistently high levels of compliance in 2012 (84%) with regard to the height requirements. However, this performance was down on 2012 (92%). The primary reason behind this reduction was the high number of arrivals using the northern runway during the night period, when the majority of the main runway resurfacing works were taking place. Table C6 Aircraft joining the ILS at distances greater than 10nm (23:30-06:00) Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % January February March April May 1, , June 1, , , , July 1, , , , , August 1, , , , , September 1, , , , , October 1, November December Year total 10, , , , , Table C7 Aircraft joining the ILS above an altitude of 2,900 feet (23:30-06:00) Number % Number % Number % Number % Number % January February March April May 1, , , June 1, , , , , July 1, , , , , August 1, , , , , September 1, , , , , October , November December Year total 9, , , , ,335 84

13 13 All arriving aircraft aim to achieve a CDA wherever practical as this is an important noise mitigation method. In simple terms, a CDA keeps the aircraft higher for longer and this avoids periods of prolonged level flight at lower altitudes. However, achieving a CDA is not a precise art it relies on a combination of the pilot s skill, the quality of information provided by NATS as well as weather and operational conditions. Figure C8 illustrates examples of CDA and non-cda approach profiles. There are no set approach angles or heights for an arrival to be classified as following a CDA. The Arrivals Code of Practice is a technical document aimed at reducing the noise created by arriving aircraft. The code, allied with subsequent communications and analysis by airlines, NATS and Gatwick s Flight Performance Team, has resulted in significant improvements in the CDA achievement rate across all time periods. Unsurprisingly, the most sensitive time is the night quota period. In 2012 Gatwick recorded a 85% achievement in CDA, which is considerably lower than the 2011 performance see Tables C9 and C10. The reason for this was the main runway resurfacing project which took place for much of 2012 and necessitated the use of the reserve runway for long periods during the late evening and night period. The reserve runway has no ILS provision and this makes achieving a CDA approach much more problematic. On a positive note, when the main runway was last resurfaced in 2000 it resulted overall in a 20% reduction in CDA performance across all time periods. Figures C11 and C12 show the track density plots of night-time westerly arriving aircraft to 4,000 feet for July 1996 and July The area covered by aircraft below 4,000 feet in 2012 is much smaller than in 1996 and this highlights the significant improvements in CDA achievement that have been made during that period. CDA achievement in 2012 for the whole night-time restriction period (Table C13) was adversely affected by the major runway resurfacing works carried out during the year. In the daytime period (Table C14), the CDA achievement was comparable to the performance in the previous three years. The average achievement rate of 89% represents an 9% improvement on 2006 s performance. Table C15 shows a breakdown of CDA performance by the individual airlines operating at Gatwick. These figures have been compiled from Gatwick s Noise and Track Keeping System. However, because of the loss of several days of data in April 2012 the total number of arrivals will not match the actual figures. The Arrivals Code of Practice contains further noise mitigation measures related to arriving aircraft. For more details visit: Figure C8 Example of a CDA and non-cda approach profile CDA approach Altitude CDA Not CDA Non-CDA Aircraft joins the ILS (joining point) Distance from touchdown

14 14 Table C9 Monthly core night-time arrivals (23:30-06:00) and achievement of CDAs Arrivals % CDA Arrivals % CDA Arrivals % CDA Arrivals % CDA Arrivals %CDA January February March April May 1, , , , June 1, , , , , July 1, , , , , August 1, , , , , September 1, , , , , October 1, , November December Year total 10, , , , Table C10 CDA achievement %CDA %CDA Change %CDA %CDA Change %CDA %CDA Change Period Core night (23:30-06:00) Night and shoulder (23:00-07:00) Daytime (07:00-23:00) hour period Figure C11 Colour by height plots of westerly (23:30-06:00) arriving aircraft to 4,000ft for July 1996 Figure C12 Colour by height plots of westerly (23:30-06:00) arriving aircraft to 4,000ft for July ft 801-1,600ft 1,601-2,400ft 2,401-3,200ft 3,201-3,999ft

15 15 Table C13 Monthly core night & shoulder arrivals (23:00-07:00) and achievement of CDAs Arrivals % Arrivals % Arrivals % Arrivals % January February March April 1, , , May 1, , , , June 1, , , , July 2, , , , August 2, , , , September 1, , , , October 1, , , , November December Year total 15, , , , Table C14 Monthly day arrivals (07:00-23:00) and achievement of CDAs Arrivals % CDAs Arrivals % CDAs Arrivals CDAs % Arrivals CDAs % January 8, , , , February 8, , , , March 9, , , , April 9, , , , May 11, , , , June 11, , , , July 10, , , , August 10, , , , September 10, , , , October 9, , , , November 8, , , , December 8, , , , Year total 109, , , ,545 89

16 16 Table C15 Continuous descent performance by airlines in 2012 ICAO code Airline 2012 Arrivals CDA performance (%) EZY EasyJet 42, BAW British Airways 19, BEE Flybe 9, TOM Thomson Airways 6, MON Monarch Airlines 5, NAX Norwegian Air Shuttle 4, RYR Ryanair 3, TCX Thomas Cook Airlines 3, EIN Aer Lingus 2, VIR Virgin Atlantic Airways 1, AUR Aurigny Air Service 1, EZS EasyJet Switzerland 1, TAP TAP Air Portugal 1, UAE Emirates 1, AEA Air Europa TSC Air Transat ISS Meridiana THY Turkish Airlines BER Air Berlin DLH Lufthansa AUI Ukraine International BTI Air Baltic AMC Air Malta AWE US Airways LLC Small Planet STU Star Africa Air ADH Air One HCC Holidays Czech Air CTN Croatia Airlines HVN Vietnam Airlines SDM Rossiya NJE Netjets CIM Cimber Air EXS Jet BRU Belavia CRK Hong Kong Airlines CCA Air China ELL Estonian Air KAL Korean Air AEW Aerosovit NVD WOW Air AWC Titan Airways MLD Air Moldova SWG Sunwings Airlines AAW Afriqiyah MGX Montenegro Airlines BWA Caribbean Airlines DAL Delta Airlines XAX Air Asia X AEE Aegean Airlines MAH Malev PGT Pegasus Airlines Others Other airlines 1, All airlines All airlines 115,850 89

17 17 Section D: Aircraft noise Gatwick s Flight Performance Team assesses aircraft noise in three different ways: annual air noise contours mobile noise monitoring studies departure noise limit compliance. The DfT is responsible for issuing noise contours and full details are available on the DfT website: The noise contours for 2012 have not yet been published. Mobile noise monitoring data is recorded at several community locations close to the airport (see Figure D1). Members of the FPT meet on a quarterly basis with local Environmental Health Officers to discuss the results. In 2012 there were no noise infringements (Figure D3) for the second time in three years. The consistently low number of noise infringements in 2012 and the previous four years reflects Gatwick s continuing work with all the airlines operating at the airport and the advent of a fleet of smaller, more modern aircraft operating at the airport in recent years. Airlines are fined for noise infringements, with all proceeds going to the independently run Gatwick Airport Community Trust. Table D4 lists the departure noise infringements during the past six years and the amount of money raised for the Community Trust. Noise limits All take-offs from the airport are subject to departure noise limits set by the DfT. Since 2001, there have been three limits in place at Gatwick for the day, shoulder and nighttime periods. Departure noise limits are based on the assumption that the noise monitors are exactly 6.5km from the start of roll point on the runway and at the same elevation as the airfield. In practice, this is seldom possible and adjustments are made to the limits to account for any variances in monitor position. There is a margin of error for the microphone, which is also taken into account (+/- 0.7dBA). Table D2 summarises the limits that apply to the five permanent monitors. Figure D1 Location of current and historical noise monitors Fixed sites Current sites Historic sites

18 18 Table D2 Noise limits as adjusted for individual monitoring sites Site Adjustments specific to monitoring sites Adjusted limit values at monitoring sites Positional Equipment Total Day Shoulder Night Figure D3 Total noise infringements Table D4 Departure noise limit infringements Night-time infringements Shoulder hour infringements Daytime infringements Total Total Gatwick departures 133, , , , , ,394 Infringements as % of departures 0.011% 0.003% 0.001% 0.00% 0.003% 0.00% Total surcharges 8,500 2, ,000 0

19 19 Section E: Complaints Callers and complaints The number of people calling Gatwick s FPT has been falling in recent years from the six-year high of 580 callers in In 2012 there were more callers and significantly more complaints compared to the previous year but it should be taken into consideration that just one individual accounted for 70% of the total number of complaints. Table E1 shows the total number of callers and complaints in the last seven years. Gatwick s noise website, which enables people to log complaints online and find out exactly which aircraft was flying over their house at any given time, is a valuable tool to help monitor and manage enquiries. For more details, visit Figure E2 shows the differing levels of complaints by quarter over the last seven years. The peak number of complaints tend to be in the summer months when people are spending more time outside. As already mentioned, the recorded figures have been distorted this year due to a single caller who accounted for almost 70% of all complaints. Reasons for complaints The five most common reported causes for contacting the FPT were aircraft noise, low flying aircraft, arrivals, increased number of flights and night flights. Table E1 Callers and complaints relating to airport operations Callers Enquiries 6,758 5,288 6,315 6,497 6,936 4,036 5,800 Figure E2 Complaints by quarter January-March April-June July-September 2006 (6,758 complaints) 2007 (5,288 complaints) 2008 (6,315 complaints) October-December 2009 (6,497 complaints) 2010 (6,936 complaints) 2011 (4,036 complaints) 2012 (5,800 complaints)

20 20 Caller locations The FPT s investigation of complaints is helped by quick address postcoding and geographic mapping, which can locate a caller s postcode on an Ordnance Survey map (see Figure E5). This figure also shows Gatwick s NPRs. In addition, radar data supplied by NATS can be overlaid, enabling accurate airline, aircraft type, height and noise data to be extracted. Table E3 shows eight locations with ten or more callers in All but one of these locations are situated within approximately ten miles of the airport. Many other locations recorded only one caller, complaint or contact. Table E4 shows eight locations recording 50 or more events in Some of these locations are further away from the airport than those listed in Table E3 and this suggests that outlying, more sparsely populated areas can sometimes be more sensitive to noise disturbance than areas closer to Gatwick. It is also worth noting that the locations are designated by postal codes and in some instances the town location refers to the nearest postal town. Table E3 Locations with 10+ callers Crawley 50 Horley 33 Edenbridge 26 Dorking 25 Horsham 22 East Grinstead 81 Tunbridge Wells 21 Lingfield 12 Table E4 Locations with 50+ complaints Complaints Callers Edenbridge Lingfield East Grinstead Horley Marsh Green Hever 93 3 Tunbridge Wells Crawley Figure E5 Postcode locations of complaints in 2012 (NPRs shown)

21 21 Glossary of terms Glossary of terms 08R: Main runway used when aircraft are departing towards the east and arriving from the west. 26L: Main runway used when aircraft are departing towards the west and arriving from the east. 08L: Northern or standby runway used when aircraft are departing towards the east and arriving from the west. 26R: Northern or standby runway used when aircraft are departing towards the west and arriving from the east. Air Traffic Control (ATC) (see NATS, page 21) Altitude: The distance of an aircraft above sea level (asl). ANOMS: Airport Noise and Operations Management System. Used for accurate monitoring and management airport operations and the associated noise. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA): the UK s independent specialist aviation regulator. Its activities include economic regulation, airspace policy, safety regulation and consumer protection. Continuous Descent Approach (CDA): A noise abatement procedure for arrivals. Avoids periods of level flight, reducing noise and emissions. Advisory, but not compulsory. Decibels (dba ): Noise measurement that takes closest account of human hearing. Used to measure aircraft noise. Department for Transport (DfT): The government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved. The department is run by the Secretary of State for Transport. Dispensations: Granted to aircraft not normally permitted to fly during the night. Exceptional circumstances are (a) delays likely to lead to serious congestion at the airport or serious hardship or suffering to passengers or animals and (b) delays resulting from widespread and prolonged disruption to Air Traffic Control. Further dispensations may be granted in respect of VIP flights, relief flights carrying supplies, military aircraft operations in the event of war and civil aircraft affected by hostilities. Flight Operations Performance and Safety Committee (FLOPSC): This Committee ensures the development of best practice in flight operations by all airlines using Gatwick Airport in order to minimise their effect on the local community. Matters discussed include departure track-keeping, continuous descent approaches and noise infringements. FLOPSC meets bi-monthly, is chaired by GAL and is attended by the FPT, DfT, NATS, airlines and a representative of GATCOM. Flight Performance Team (FPT): responsible for recording, investigating and responding to aircraft noise enquiries as well as monitoring and reporting airline compliance to noise mitigation measures as detailed in the UK Aeronautical Information Publication. The FPT also manages a number of fixed and mobile noise monitors within the local area. They are regularly relocated, the data analysed and the findings reported. Gatwick Airport Consultative Committee (GATCOM): A committee set up in 1956 in order to meet statutory requirements for public consultation. GATCOM discusses issues relating to employment, surface access and resource use as well as aircraft performance. It comprises members of local authorities, local interest groups, business and airline representatives and the DfT and is advised by senior managers from GAL. Gatwick Airport Limited (GAL): The company licensed to operate Gatwick Airport by the Civil Aviation Authority. Gatwick is wholly-owned by Ivy Bidco Limited (Ivy), a company formed to undertake the acquisition of Gatwick. Ivy is ultimately controlled by funds managed by Global Infrastructure Management, LLC, part of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). Go-around: An aborted landing of an aircraft that is on final approach. The aircraft turns and gets back in the queue to land. Height: The distance of an aircraft above airfield level (aal). Gatwick is 202ft asl. Holding stack: Area where aircraft circle at a minimum 7,000ft awaiting approach instructions during busy periods.

22 22 Glossary of terms Glossary of terms (continued) Instrument Landing System (ILS): Precision approach aid consisting of a number of elements, principally a localiser radio beam and glide path aerials. Guides aircraft through final approach to touchdown. Leq Equivalent Continuous Sound Level: The notional sound pressure level which, if maintained constant over a given time, delivers the same amount of acoustic energy at some point as the time-varying sound pressure level would deliver at the same point and over the same period of time. Movements limits: The number of movements permitted during the night period, differing between seasons. NATS: The main air navigation service provider in the United Kingdom. It provides en-route air traffic control services to flights within the UK Flight Information Regions and the Shanwick Oceanic Control Area, and provides air traffic control services to 15 UK airports and Gibraltar Airport. Night period: the period from 23:00 to 07:00. Night quota: the period from 23:30 to 06:00. NM: Nautical mile. Noise and Track Monitoring Advisory Group (NaTMAG) is chaired by GAL with membership drawn from DfT, NATS, GATCOM, the airline industry, local Environmental Health Officers and GAL's acoustic consultants. It oversees the administration of the environmental monitoring systems used by the FPT and discusses local issues concerning aircraft noise and track-keeping. Noise monitors (fixed): Sited at either end of the runway to measure the noise of departing aircraft. The readings from these are the only ones that can determine a noise infringement. Noise monitors (mobile): Sited in various locations around Gatwick to aid studies into the local noise climate. Noise limits: Levels fixed by the Department for Transport which should not be exceeded by departing aircraft. Noise infringements: If the above level is exceeded, the airline concerned receives a financial surcharge. Noise Preferential Route (NPR): A 3 kilometre-wide corridor in which departing aircraft must remain at an altitude of 3,000 or 4,000ft. These are used to provide set routes aircraft must follow and so provide some certainty as to which areas will be over flown by departing aircraft. NRP: Night Restrictions Period NTK: Noise and Track Keeping System see ANOMS on page 20 Restrictions: Formulated by the Department for Transport relating to types of aircraft that can fly at night and placing limits on movements. Strictly monitored by Gatwick Airport Limited. Reverse thrust: Braking procedure used by older landing aircraft. Noisy, so use is discouraged at night. Quota count QC : Points ranging from 0.25 to 16, allocated to aircraft types. The quieter the type, the lower the quota count. Aircraft with a rating of QC4, 8 or 16 may not be scheduled to take off or land during the night quota period. QC8 and 16 types may not be scheduled to take off or land in the night period. Seasons: There are two airport seasons winter and summer. Determined by use of GMT / BST. Start of roll: Point where a departing aircraft releases its parking brakes to commence take-off roll. Standard Instrument Departure (SID): This is a published flight procedure followed by aircraft on an Instrument Flight Rules flight plan immediately after take-off from an airport. The first section of a SID is an NPR. Vectoring: Air Traffic Control procedure turning a departing aircraft off an NPR onto a more direct heading to its destination.

23 Contact us If you have any comments on this report or would like to know more about the work of the Flight Performance Team please contact: Brendan Sheil Flight Performance Team Destinations Place Gatwick Airport West Sussex RH6 0NP Freephone: Web: Registered office Gatwick Airport Limited 5th Floor, Destinations Place Gatwick Airport West Sussex RH6 0NP Registered No Produced by Gatwick Airport Limited Gatwick Airport Limited