Heathrow flight path trial sparks record number of complaints

Heathrow was inundated by complaints last month after it trialled new flight paths over areas of Berkshire and Surrey.

The airport received an average of 500 complaints a day – the highest in its history – according to The Sunday Times.

The airport has apologised for the disturbance caused by the trial.

Heathrow is one of a number of airports that have designed new flight paths. The changes are part of a plan to revamp the UK’s airspace by 2020.

A petition launched by residents in Ascot has attracted more than 5,600 signatures.

“The noise has increased massively since early July,” said organiser Amanda Smerczak.

Boris Johnson, the mayor of London, said the complaints illustrated why a third runway at Heathrow “will never be built”.

Matt Gorman, Sustainability and Environment director said: “We are sorry for communities that have experienced an increase in noise as a result of these trials.

“We are taking that feedback into account in the design of any future trials and in thinking about how we communicate about those trials.”