Official airport figures show massive opposition to new flight path

Official figures from Edinburgh Airport have shown massive opposition to proposals to fly thousands of plans over Queensferry.

The official findings report on the airport consultation showed that, of those who responded and had a view on the flight paths, over 60% were opposed to the suggestion that aircraft should be changed in this way.

The airport unveiled proposals to change its flight paths earlier this year.  In the first consultation in 2016, Edinburgh Airport promised to look at flight paths within a broad ‘envelope’ – this did not include aircraft being routed over Queensferry.

However this second consultation proposed something completely different. The new plans involve a preferred flight path (called D0) for departing planes. The new flight path would route many thousands of aircraft directly over Queensferry.
Local people were rightly shocked by this. There was no suggestion of such a proposal in the airport’s first consultation last year.  Over 1,000 people signed our petition against the plans.

We submitted a joint response to the airport’s consultation with local Member of the Scottish Parliament, Alex Cole-Hamilton. We explained how unacceptable it was for the airport to propose a new flight path which was NOT included in the original 2016 consultation design envelope.  We feel this brought the integrity of the airport’s consultation programme into serious doubt.

We understood Edinburgh Airport suggested the new flight path because other residents in West Lothian objected to initial proposals.  However, residents in Queensferry would have also objected if this new proposal had been suggested in the 2016 consultation.

Queensferry is a large and growing community.  It is also an important tourist and heritage site given its position next to the Forth Rail Bridge.  This new flight path will expose thousands of people to increased aircraft noise.  The preferred flight path would also take planes close to Echline Primary School and a possible new school which may be built south of Builyeon Road.

Given the huge opposition to the proposals, we hope the airport will now confirm that it will not proceed with this change.  A formal decision by the airport is expected later in the year.