HC Deb 13 January 1989 vol 144 cc792-4W
Mr. Gardiner

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what use has been made of the night-time quota period at Gatwick airport in the summer of the 1988 season, 1 April to 23 October; how many movements were carried out in this period(a) under quota and (b) by dispensation; and whether he will place on record details of the airlines and aircraft type concerned, and the reason for dispensation in each case.

Mr. Peter Bottomley

The following were the total number of quota movements made by aircraft in each night noise category at Gatwick during the period 1 April 1988 to 23 October 1988. Movement information broken down by aircraft type is not readily available.

Aircraft night noise category
NN/A (delayed) NN/B NN/C
Quota 60 3,300 1,130
Usage 57 3,300 1,130

The NN/B and NN/C usage figures include 176 movements unavoidably delayed into the night period because of runway resurfacing works.

The quota movements were used by individual airline operators as follows:

Airline NN/A (delayed) NN/B NN/C
Air Europe 1 55 334
Air Malta 23
Athiaca 8
American Transair 4
ATI 65
Anglo Cargo 3
Aviogenex 3
Austrian Airlines 7 1
BCal/Cal Air 18 317 7
British Air Ferries 86
British Island Airways 7 303 99
Britannia 1 369 314
BAL Air 8
British Airways 1,035 18
Cathay Pacific 74
Continental Airlines 4
Dan Air 19 633 52
Delta Airlines 10
Hispania 8
Inex Adria 3
JAT 3
Monarch 108 237
Nation Air 4
North West Airlines 2
Orion 1 113 65
Philippines 4
TAP 1
TWA 6 2
Tunis Air 29
Uganda Airlines 2
Virgin Atlantic 2
Ward Air 3
Yemen Airways 2
ZAS 4
Other Airlines (Pool) 10
Total 57 3,300 1,130

During the course of the last summer season widespread and prolonged air traffic disruption affected operations at the airport. Gatwick Airport Ltd. (GAL) used its powers under the Civil Aviation Act 1982, S78 to disregard 1,581 movements delayed into the night period as a result of this disruption. Dispensations may also be granted for delays to aircraft which are likely to lead to serious congestion at the airport or serious hardship or suffering to passengers or animals. A further 13 dispensations were granted under this category. The numbers of movements disregarded by GAL, grouped by night noise category and airline were as follows:

Aircraft night noise category
Airline NN/A NN/B NN/C Total
Air Europe 2 18 314 334
Britannia 0 56 37 93
BIA 30 119 57 206
BA/BCal/Cal Air 0 205 0 205
Monarch 1 5 242 248
Orion 0 61 149 210
Dan Air 104 163 26 293
ATI 0 5 0 5
1,594

All movement statistics have been supplied by Gatwick Airport Ltd.