Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance her Department provides on whether Heathrow Airport is legally required to support (a) noise abatement schemes, (b) sound insulation and (c) double glazing for properties affected by aircraft noise from that airport.

Heathrow Airport is a designated aerodrome under Section 78 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982, for the purpose of limiting, or of mitigating the effect of, noise and vibration connected with the taking-off or landing of aircraft. Noise abatement procedures for Heathrow Airport, specified by the Secretary of State, are set out in the airport’s Aeronautical Information Publication.

Existing policy on noise insulation, which would incorporate sound insulation and double glazing, is set out in the Aviation Policy Framework 2013 and in the 2017 Airspace policy consultation response.