Edinburgh Airport confirmed this morning that it will be taking all views from local communities and groups into consideration when shaping its new flightpath design. The airport has conducted an extensive consultation programme and publishes the report on the second consultation today.
The airport will now begin to form its proposals. In the report it states that these will be made public in due course.
From the report : “We will publicise our case for change including a summary of the application to the CAA and responses to the comments made during the consultation.
“It will also explain the methodology behind determining the final flight paths.”
Airport bosses will then proceed to advise the Civil Aviation Authority of their proposals to make changes to the flight paths around the airport which are not likely to result in any action by the CAA till the end of the year.
Almost 4,000 responses to the various options on flight paths were received and are detailed in the report.
The consultation included 23 community drop in and town hall sessions with more than 1,000 people attending.
The report details who responded, where they were, and what they told the airport, and will now help to shape Edinburgh Airport’s flight change proposals and recommendations to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) later this summer.
Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport Gordon Dewar said:
“A change in Edinburgh’s airspace is much needed in order to follow the current modernisation of all airspace across the UK, as well as building capacity to meet current and future demand.
“But it must be balanced and managed in a way that benefits Edinburgh and Scotland as a whole and minimises the impact on local communities. That’s why the rich and informed conversations we’ve had have been so important – to inform, debate and scrutinise.
Edinburgh Airport Chief Executive Gordon Dewar visits Five sisters Zoo, West Calder to announce the public consultation into proposed new flight paths January 2017
“We acknowledge that some mistakes have been made and they have been embarrassing for us, but we have learned from and rectified them. However, we are confident that they did not impair the overall completeness of the consultation; we have been open in identifying them and tenacious in our attempts to fix them.
“We have actively listened and had those discussions – full-blooded at times – to gain a greater understanding of the public’s view on these proposals, which was the key aim from this second consultation. We now have these views and will carefully consider them as we shape our final proposals to the CAA later this summer.
“I want to personally thank everyone who has engaged with and taken an interest in our Airspace Change Programme – it has enriched our understanding of your concerns and opinions about the options we set out, and I assure you that we have listened to you and your views loud and clear.”
The airport was accused of using the wrong Freepost address in asking for answers. They have stated this morning that this has so far affected only two people who had their responses returned to them. If you have had yours returned then you should send your response again before 31 July 2017 to this address:
AIRSPACE CHANGE PROGRAMME
COMMUNICATIONS TEAM
EDINBURGH AIRPORT
TERMINAL BUILDING
EDINBURGH
EH12 9DN
You can read the report in full here.
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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
