Extra plane noise 'saves 2p'
05.11.09
Airlines are depriving residents of peace and quiet to save just 2p per passenger, campaign group Stop Stansted Expansion (SSE) says. A new departure procedure means planes are climbing more slowly, and they therefore fly lower for longer over villages including Hatfield Heath, Hatfield Broad Oak and the Hallingburys in a bid to save fuel. The manoeuvre cuts costs and reduces carbon emissions.
The campaigners have calculated that the average fuel saving is about 6.5kg for each plane using this new procedure, based on a recent Cranfield University report for the Department for Transport and on figures published by the EU Environment Agency on the amount of fuel used by various aircraft types during the take-off phase.
The protesters estimate a saving of 6.5kg is worth about £2.65, and since the average aircraft leaving Stansted is carrying 135 passengers, SSE says the saving is less than 2p per passenger. In terms of carbon dioxide emissions, the saving is less than 0.1% of Stansted’s annual emissions, it adds.
The group say the procedure is in breach of Government policy as set down in the 2003 Air Transport White Paper aimed at ‘encouraging airport operators, airlines and air traffic managers to adopt the cleanest and quietest operational practices’.
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