Night flying restrictions or night-time curfews, [1] including night flight bans, are any regulations or legislation imposed by a governing body to limit the ground-perceived exposure to aircraft noise pollution during the night hours, when the majority of residents are trying to sleep. Such regulations may include restrictions to available flight paths, or prohibitions against takeoffs, or prohibitions against takeoffs and landings, or prohibitions against ground operations (engine runups or taxiing).[ citation needed ]
Night flying restrictions are common at airports in Europe.[ clarification needed ] Most airports in Germany have restrictions and curfews during the night.[ citation needed ] Several night flying restrictions including full night flight bans have been introduced in order to ensure that residents living near airports can sleep at night.
Curfews are not as common at international airports in Oceania as they are in Europe, though some airports do still have curfews if they surround densely-populated suburbs.
Curfews at Australian international airports | |||
---|---|---|---|
Airport | State/territory | Curfew? | Notes |
Adelaide | South Australia | Yes (11:00pm to 6:00am) | [6] |
Brisbane | Queensland | No | Curfew proposed, [7] objected to by airport. [8] [9] |
Cairns | Queensland | No | [10] |
Canberra | Australian Capital Territory | No | [11] |
Darwin International Airport | Northern Territory | No | [12] |
Gold Coast | Queensland | Yes (11:00pm to 6:00am) | [13] |
Hobart | Tasmania | No | [14] |
Melbourne | Victoria | No | [15] |
Newcastle | New South Wales | Yes (10:00pm to 6:00am) | [16] |
Perth | Western Australia | No | Curfew previously proposed, rejected multiple times. [17] [18] [19] |
Sunshine Coast | Queensland | No | While there is no curfew at Sunshine Coast Airport, approval is required for aircraft to take off or land at the airport from 11:00pm and 5:30am. [20] |
Sydney (Kingsford-Smith) | New South Wales | Yes (11:00pm to 6:00am) | Despite being the busiest airport in Oceania and a hub for the Asia-Pacific region, Sydney Airport has a curfew because it is located in the densely-populated suburb of Mascot. [21] |
Western Sydney | New South Wales | No | Western Sydney Airport is currently under construction. However, due to it being located away from densely-populated suburbs, it will not have a curfew, unlike Sydney Airport which does have a curfew. [22] [23] |
Curfews at New Zealand international airports | ||
---|---|---|
Airport | Curfew? | Notes |
Auckland | No | |
Christchurch | No | [24] |
Queenstown | Yes (10:00pm to 7:00am) | [25] |
Wellington | Yes (midnight to 6:00am) | International arrivals allowed until 1:00am. [26] |
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The environmental impact of aviation in the United Kingdom are increasing due to the increasing demand for air travel in the country. In the past 25 years the UK air transport industry has seen sustained growth, and the demand for passenger air travel in particular is forecast to increase more than twofold, to 465 million passengers, by 2030. Two airports; London Heathrow and London Gatwick, are amongst the top ten busiest airports in the world for international passenger traffic. Whilst more than half of all passengers travelling by air in the UK currently travel via the five London area airports, regional airports have experienced the most growth in recent years, due to the success of 'no-frills' airlines over the last decade.
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