British Airways is the quietest airline operating short-haul out of Heathrow according to the airport’s first ever league table for aircraft noise. BA was also listed 12th in the table for long-haul.
By launching its ‘Fly Quiet programme’, Heathrow has become the first UK airport to list airlines according to noise performance.
The Fly Quiet table, which will be published quarterly, will take the top 50 Heathrow airlines and list them according to six noise related criteria. The airlines receive a red, amber or green rating for each criterion, as well as an overall score which allows airlines to understand how they are performing in relation to other airlines.
If airlines are not meeting the minimum performance targets, Heathrow has stated it will work closely with them to improve their rating.
Jonathon Counsell, head of environment, said: “We are very pleased that our short-haul fleet has proved itself the quietest at Heathrow, and we know we can do more. Overall, we have a noise reduction target to reduce the average noise per flight by 15 per cent by 2018.”
He added: “With the introduction of more new aircraft and continuing operational innovation, we are confident of achieving this for the benefit of communities living around Heathrow and all the airports we serve. This autumn we have introduced nine new long-haul aircraft, all of which are significantly quieter than their predecessors, and we will take delivery of more than 30 further aircraft in the next three years.”
Heathrow has some of the world’s toughest rules and regulations on noise. The aim of the programme is to continue encouraging airlines to use the quietest aircraft available and to fly them in the quietest possible way.