More Private Planes for Hampshire: Farnborough Airport plans to expand against local backlash

Groups in Farnborough have been up in arms this month after Farnborough International announced plans to massively expand the flight capacity of their operation. The airport is already the busiest private airport in the county, and the sixth busiest in Europe.

Farnborough Noise Group, an advocacy group which says it aims to “raise issues resulting from Farnborough Airport’s operations” has been vocal in its opposition to these plans, with one resident affiliated with the group, Colin Shearn, outlining that the expansions will increase the air pollution – which is already high.

Mr. Shearn said: “Jets produce particulates and nitrogen dioxide which are both harmful to health, and an increase in private jet flights will result in increased emissions.”

The recorded levels of nitrogen dioxide at Farnborough Airport, Shearn says, “regularly exceed the World Health Organisation safe limits”.

Shearn said: “There are only two and a half passengers per plane, and 40% of planes are flying empty’ which makes it ‘an extremely inefficient way of travel.”

Farnborough International plans to expand the number of flights from 50,000 a year to 70,000, increase the number of weekend flights from 8,900 to 18,900 annually, change the allowed weekend hours of operation from 8am-8pm to 7am-9pm, and adjust the lower limit for aircraft weight from 50 tonnes to 80 tonnes.

In a press release, airport CEO, Simon Geere says the expansions “will create hundreds of new jobs within the local community” which he claims will be “important for the future economic prosperity of the region”.

The airport also claims the expansions will generate “£470m of Gross Value Added by 2040”, the year it has targeted for the expansions to be finalised.

Public consultations have been hosted by the airport over the past month and the final consulatation closes, they say, on the 18th of October. Plans will then be put forward to the Rushmoor Borough Council, which will decide whether to permit the expansions.

This application is set to be put forward in November, so until then, the future of the airport is up in the air.