London City Airport's bid to end 24-hour weekend quiet time rejected by council

London City Airport's bid to overturn a decades-long weekend flight curfew was rejected by Newham Council over noise pollution fears.

Local residents and the Green Party welcomed the council's unanimous decision to deny the airport permission to end a 24-hour quiet period over the weekend.

Currently, there are no flights between 1pm on Saturday and 12.30pm on Sunday to give local residents a break from the low-flying aircraft.

The airport was bidding to extend its operating hours to allow take-offs and landing up until 6.30pm on Saturdays as well as adding three early morning flights to its schedule.

The airport said it would introduced quieter aircraft if the expansion plans were approved.

Speaking in support of the application, London City Airport chief executive Robert Sinclair said: “In formulating these proposals, we have worked incredibly hard and thought incredibly hard about achieving the right balance, recognising the interests of local residents and how we can improve the environmental impact of our operations, in particular noise and emissions.”

The council's decision was greeted by "huge cheers", Green Democracy & Citizen Engagement Spokesperson Nate Higgins said.

Writing on Twitter, Mr Higgins said: "AMAZING NEWS as @NewhamLondon unanimously refuse permission for London City Airport expansion! "Huge cheers from @NewhamGreens members, members of other local Green Parties, and other local residents and @HACANEast!"The message is clear, airport expansion is not welcome here."

Greenwich Council had previously voted to oppose the plans, saying it will have an unacceptable impact on residents.

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