Heathrow Airport runway works spark resident noise concerns

Heathrow said it would limit the noise "as much as possible"

Runway maintenance work at Heathrow Airport will cause "unacceptable levels" of night-time noise over the next two years, campaigners have said.

The UK's busiest airport is making routine repairs to its runways, work that takes place about every 10 years.

It will result in changed flight patterns and runway alternations at night at the west London airport.

Heathrow said it would limit the noise "as much as possible".

It will mean that flights that are later than 22:30 and before 6:00 from Sunday evening to Friday morning will land on a single runway, the airport said.

During normal operations, the airport alternates runways to allow residents some respite from the noise.

The work started on Monday and is due to be completed in the summer of 2025. 

The airport said that for the initial phase of the work, all planes would use the northern runway five nights a week. The usual alternation between runways will continue on Friday and Saturday nights.

This has prompted concerns from campaign group Stop Heathrow Expansion which said residents living beneath certain flight paths would be badly affected. 

The runway work is expected to last two years

The group said residents under the northern runway flight paths would have almost no respite from night-time noise during the initial phase of work, followed by those under southern runway flight paths in the next phase. 

Justine Bayley, chair of the group, said: "We accept that the runways need resurfacing works every decade or so, but it is frustrating that this work has to take so long."

She said many residents around the airport could "have their sleep disturbed for months on end".

Ms Bayley also accused the airport of failing to communicate with residents about the runway works.

A Heathrow spokesperson said it had briefed residents through community forums, local authorities and through newsletters since March.

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