Nighttime cargo flights will no longer fly over Leigh, it has been confirmed Southend Airport have confirmed pilots of the overnight cargo flights will be told not to fly over Leigh, unless high winds force them to do so.
The Charlie taxiway, which runs closest to homes in Rochford, will also not be used overnight, meaning residents who live in Wells Avenue should no longer suffer from sleepless nights.
Bosses have also agreed to stop the use of reverse thrust overnight.
There has been no confirmation of alternative routes but one possible route is to fly over Eastwood and Rayleigh. The Echo probed further on the exact route to be used by the airport but we were told it would depend on the wind each day. The announcement comes after a meeting between Southend councillors and airport bosses, who have agreed to appease campaigners and residents.
Night flights have caused a huge amount of controversy since they launched six months ago, when the airport struck a deal, believed to be with Amazon, for cargo flights to run at intervals throughout the night across Europe.
A petition was launched by furious residents, which reached more than 2,800 signatures in recent weeks, after seven flights were recorded flying consistently a night in January.
Daniel Cowan, who has been in regular contact with frustrated homeowners and the airport, is pleased with the announcement. He said: “The airport have agreed with airline ASL that it is compulsory for all pilots to avoid Leigh unless the wind really will not allow them to do so. “This should see a welcome reduction in nighttime flights over Leigh.
“They are also directing aircraft away from Charlie taxiway at night which will assist those residents who live in Wells Avenue.
“It was a productive meeting and the airport agreed to investigate our requests for potential solutions.”
Yesterday, Mr Cowan added: “The airport has confirmed to me and my councillor colleagues this afternoon that they have been making progress following meeting with them where we stressed the issues which were concerning residents.
“In addition, they have agreed that the use of reverse thrust at night will be limited to times when it is unavoidable for safety reasons.
“They are making headway in terms of creating a longer gap between the first planes landing and the last plane taking off. “This would mean a wider interval between the plane movements and would reduce sleep disturbance. “This was something we raised in terms of residents being woken up in two-hour intervals, with them starting to doze off and then almost immediately being reawakened.
“The airport is continuing in discussion with the carrier regarding movement times.
A Southend Airport spokesperson, who did not confirm which routes the cargo flights will now be using, said: “We have been engaging with councillors to understand the concerns of their residents. “Following a constructive meeting we agreed an action plan that we are currently working through. “Yesterday we confirmed that we have made progress in terms of agreeing with the airline of our global logistics customer that it is now compulsory to avoid flying over Leigh unless the wind speed will not allow them to do so. “We also said that we are directing aircraft away from Charlie taxiway at night. “In addition, we have agreed that the use of reverse thrust at night will be limited to times when it is unavoidable for safety reasons.”THE redirection of nighttime cargo flights has delighted many but has left others feeling in the dark.
Southend Airport’s silence on where the cargo flights will now fly has left Rochford residents frustrated at how the change could affect them.
When the news broke on Wednesday evening after a “positive meeting” between airport bosses and councillors, there was a mixed reaction from homeowners.
Campaigners expressed their delight after their petition gained more than 2,800 signatures. However, several were dismayed at the lack of thought given to those who are living in Rochford, above which the flights could be redirected.
One woman said: “What about the people in Rochford? Complaints have been upped because there are more residents in Leigh.
“Night time flights need to stop, it’s not fair and should have never been agreed.”
Another angered resident added: “ I think this is so unfair to the residents in Rochford.
“Why should they have to suffer all the flights?
“Who is fighting for them?
“All the actions agreed to reduce nighttime noise should also be enforced during the day as this would reduce the noise and pollution for the residents who live close to the airport.”
Carole Mulroney, ward councillor of the Leigh ward, who has been working closely with the airport in recent months, added: “Things are now happening. It’s really positive “We’ve been getting a lot of complaints.
“We do understand that the airport is a business, but they have to understand the impact they are having.
“We’ve now opened a positive dialogue with the airport, and we hope to have a meeting with them in the next few weeks.”
Daniel Cowan, councillor of the St Laurence ward, also spoke of the “positive dialogue” with the airport. He added “regular updates” will be given to councillors on the situation and another meeting is scheduled within the next two weeks.
