Crash raises concern over safety

The aircraft missed a number of schools and a hospital

The death of five people in a commercial jet crash in Kent has led to calls for cuts in the number of flights from Biggin Hill.

Two pilots and three passengers died when the Cessna jet came down and burst into flames in Farnborough shortly after take-off on Sunday.

People living near the flight path say this was an accident waiting to happen.

The owners of Biggin Hill, which is operating at about 60% of its capacity, said it had a very good safety record.

Residents have fears about a plane crashing and their worst fears have now been realised Timothy Stevens

The area surrounding the crash site includes four schools, a major acute hospital, and a leisure centre.

Under its lease, the airport is allowed to operate about 125,000 flights annually and currently handles about 70,000.

The number of commercial jets using the airport has increased by about a third in the past year with, on average, 16 taking off each day.

Orpington Conservative MP John Horam said: "I'm opposed to further airport expansion - it's incompatible with the sort of area this is."

He added: "I hope that a balance can be struck between the residents' quality of life and keeping the airport going, and I hope that can be managed without further expansion."

'Safest transport'

Councillor Timothy Stevens, of Bromley Town Council, said: "The council would like to see fewer flights coming out of Biggin Hill and not more, particularly in the light of what we have seen yesterday with this tragedy.

Floral tributes have been laid at the scene

"Obviously, where we have high density housing close to an airport, inevitably residents have fears about a plane crashing and their worst fears have now been realised."

But Peter Lonergan, of Biggin Hill Airport, said: "Business aviation is one of the safest forms of transport in the world.

"Owner-operator pilots operate about four million take-offs a year and in those four million take-offs, there have been only four fatal accidents"

Aviation writer Jim Ferguson said commercial passenger jets would bring in a lot of money for the local area and had good safety records.

He added: "These newer aircraft are very clean and have efficient engines. Most of the noise around Biggin Hill will be from flying clubs."