§ Lady HermonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many flights(a) arriving and (b) departing (i) Belfast City Airport, (ii) Belfast International Airport and (iii) City of Derry Airport were in breach of the night-time flying curfew in the last year for which figures are available. [151334]
§ Mr. SpellarBelfast City Airport operates under a planning agreement, which governs operations, including flight hours, at the airport. The main elements controlling flight hours are: "permitted hours" between 6.30 am and 9.30 pm for normal scheduled operations; "extended hours" between 9.30 pm and 11.59 pm for delayed scheduled operations; and, "prohibited hours" between 9.30 pm and 6.30 am, which prohibits scheduled operations. During the calendar year 2003, six scheduled flights, four arrivals and two departures, used the airport between 12 midnight and 12.30 am during the "prohibited hours".
Belfast International Airport and City of Derry Airport have no night-time operating restrictions placed upon them.