§ Mr. Harry GreenwayTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if, in view of his Department's undertaking to bring about a progressive improvement in noise climate around airports, he will list the exceptions granted to foreign airlines, enabling them to continue to operate non-noise certificated subsonic jet aircraft to and from United Kingdom airports after the date from which such aircraft were banned, as detailed in the 1985 airports White Paper; and if he will give his reasons for doing so.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe exemptions are as listed in the table. Foreign-registered non noise-certificated subsonic jet aeroplanes have been banned from the United Kingdom 1 January under the Air Navigation (Noise Certification) Order 1987. Exemptions under article 16 of the order are made by the Civil Aviation Authority in consultation with my right hon. Friend. All exemptions are limited to day time operations. So far, 44 applications for exemption have been turned down.
Under the terms of EC directives 80/51 and 83/206 exemptions have been granted by the CAA where a non noise-certificated aeroplane is to be replaced by one meeting the stringent Chapter 3 ICAO noise certification standard. (The period of exemption is dependent on the delivery date of chapter 3 replacement aeroplanes. The exemption for each aeroplane expires on 31 December 1988 or when the replacement aeroplane is delivered, whichever is the sooner).
747WExemptions have been granted in exceptional circumstances beyond the airlines' immediate control. Such circumstances include the late delivery of hush-kits or hush-kit parts, the unavailability of a compliant aeroplane for technical reasons and cases where passengers would
Country Airline Aircraft type Period Reason Lebanon Middle East Airlines 2 Boeing 707s 11 January 1988 (4 flights) Hush-kit delays Nigeria Flash Airlines 1 McDonnell Douglas DC8 31 January 1988 (5 nights) Hush-kit delays Uganda Uganda Airlines 1 Boeing 707 1 January 1988 (1 flight) Flight delay. Hardship to passengers Saudi Arabia Prince Talol 1 BAe 1–11 (1 flight) 3 January 1988 Picking up hush-kit parts, en route for hush-kit fitment Zimbabwe Air Zimbabwe 5 Boeing 707s 3 to 7 February 1 to 10 June 1 to 20 June Hush-kits being fitted pending delivery of Chapter 3 aircraft Lebanon Middle East 1 Boeing 707 26–27 January (1 flight) Noise compliant aircraft grounded due to technical problems Kenya Kenya Airways 1 Boeing 707 27–28 January (1 flight) Noise compliant aeroplane grounded due to engine damage Switzerland Jet Aviation Business Jets 1 BAe 1–11 29 January 1988–31 March 1988 (9 flights) Hush-kit delays Saudi Arabia Aviation Management Consortium 1 BAe 1–11 11 February 1988–30 June 1988 Hush-kit delays Lebanon Middle East Airlines 1 Boeing 707 23–26 January (2 flights) En route hush-kitting Zambia Zambia Airways 1 Boeing 707 29 February-5 March (2 flights) Compliant aeroplane being maintained Gambia Gamair 1 McDonnell Douglas 12February-25March(6 flights) Hush-kits Lebanon Middle East Airlines 1 Boeing 720 1 February 1988 Compliant aeroplane unavailable due to technical problems Exemptions have been granted for flights to and from the United Kingdom specifically for maintenance purposes. Such exemptions stipulate that the aeroplane is flown empty, in both directions, to reduce its environmental impact to a minimum. A total of 19 maintenance flights have been exempted involving 13 airlines and 15 aircraft—eight B707, five BAel-11 and two DC8.