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Last year, more than 60,000 noise complaints at London Heathrow Airport were caused by just 10 people.
In 2023, there were 71,041 noise complaints from the airport, with monthly numbers ranging from approximately 4,000 to 9,000.
Of these complaints, 60,490 came from just 10 people, meaning that 0.5% of complainants were responsible for 85% of the complaints.
Of the 60,000, most are likely the fault of a much smaller number of people, with the airport pointing out that only five people filed more than 1,280 complaints.
About half of the complaints were about noisy aircraft and a quarter were about low-flying aircraft.
Similar statistics continued in the first quarter of 2024, with the top 10 complainants filing 15,062 complaints. Over the course of the three-month period, each complainant is estimated to have filed more than 6,000 complaints, averaging roughly 60 complaints per day and more than two complaints per hour.
The research UK Civil Aviation Authority Studies have shown that airplane noise pollution can reduce sleep quality, increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and lead to lower performance in school for children.
To help nearby residents, Heathrow operates a “runway alternation” system which is said to “provide predictable periods of noise abatement”.
This means that one runway is used for takeoffs and the other for landings, switching over mid-day.
However, noise complaints from a small number of local residents continue.
Along with environmental activists, noise complaints have also played a role in blocking controversial plans to build a third runway at Heathrow Airport.
A similarly huge number of complaints were found in Australia, where a single person living under Perth’s flight path was responsible for almost half of Australia’s aircraft noise complaints.