Call to end overland air stacking

The flight paths of planes using Luton Airport are being reviewed

No airlines waiting to land at airports in the East of England should stack up over land, a conservation group has told a review of UK airspace.

The National Air Traffic Service (Nats) is redrawing flight routes for Stansted and Luton airports which will allow the use of stacking over land.

But the Suffolk Preservation Society (SPS) said if planes need to stack up they should do so over the sea.

Nats said its routes will benefit people across the region.

The SPS said it was particularly concerned about proposals for two Stansted holding areas which would be to the south of Newmarket and between Ipswich and Stowmarket, and the Luton hold which would be to the west of Cambridge.

SPS director Richard Ward said that as air traffic continues to grow a more radical approach is needed to the issue of aircraft stacking.

In his letter to Nats, Mr Ward said that if stacking aircraft in the skies prior to landing has to continue, it should do so only over the sea, away from populated areas.

The Stansted Airport holds include one south of Newmarket

"We can see no rationale or justification in the consultation why stacking has to take place over any part of the Suffolk countryside, or any inland area altogether," he wrote in the letter.

"Holding aircraft at the end of their journey is both disruptive, wasteful on fuel, adds to climate change problems and is the worst possible way of dealing with the phasing of the landing of aircraft.

"We do not underestimate the significant work and changes that would be made to facilitate this but believe such an option requires proper and careful consideration."

Nats is carrying out a consultation on the proposals which is due to finish on 19 June.

It said redrawing the map will allow aircraft to avoid as many towns and villages as possible.

A Nats spokesman said it would, for example, reduce by almost a fifth the number of people living under the departure flight path at Luton.

Once the consultation period closes, the Civil Aviation Authority will then decide whether the changes can go ahead.

If approved, the changes would not become operational before Spring 2009.