Luton Airport to change flight paths in safety move with Stansted

The changes affecting Luton Airport will come into force in February

Flight paths and holding patterns for aircraft arriving into Luton Airport are to be altered because of its proximity to Stansted.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) approved plans to "simplify and modernise" arrival routes into Britain's fifth busiest airport.

Luton currently uses airspace over Royston, Hertfordshire, but will move to the St Neots and Huntingdon area.

The two airports are just 26 miles (42km) apart by air.

An airport spokesman said the new flight paths would "segregate them from Stansted's, to ensure continued safety".

Work is under way to train air traffic controllers and ensure pilots are familiar with the new routes, he added.

The changes follow a five-month public consultation between London Luton Airport (LLA) and NATS, the air traffic control provider, which garnered more than 2,400 responses.

They will come into effect next February.

London Luton Airport (LLA) welcomed 5.4 million passengers in 2020

Two options were offered in the consultation, with "Option One" chosen, the airport said.

"The location and orientation of the new holding area near the A1-A14 junction was adjusted; and the lowest standard altitude of the hold was raised by 1,000ft, reducing potential noise impacts on the residents of St Neots and Huntingdon," it added.