Stansted Airport getting 'dumped' with night flights which wake people up, council told

Uttlesford is being "dumped with night flights" - the council has heard while agreeing existing controls should continue. The number of Stansted night flights should be reduced - Uttlesford council is set to repeat in its response to the government over possible changes to night-time aircraft limits.

However the council - which is set to recommend continuing the existing quotas - also heard it was being dumped with night flights compared to other airports. It added the intrusiveness of the noise - which the council heard wakes people up - is greater at Stansted due to the greater prevalence of noisier cargo planes.

The government is consulting over possible changes to night-time aircraft limits on night flights set in 2021 which themselves, were rolled over from the previous regime - until a government-commissioned study into ‘aviation night noise effects’ on sleep is published in 2025.

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However, the council has added it would like a reduction in night flights - reflected in comments from campaign group Stansted Airport Watch. Stansted is presently allowed 13,700 night flights a year, more than twice as many as presently allowed at Heathrow which has a limit of 5,800 per year.

Chairman of Uttlesford Council's Stansted Airport Advisory Panel Councillor John Evans said the airport has a greater share of cargo aircraft which tend to generate the most intrusive noise because they tend to have older engines. This is because, unlike Heathrow and Gatwick, Stansted does not generally accept cargo that goes in the "belly" of a normal passenger plane.

He added: "The other two airports do have volumes of cargo being carried in an ordinary passenger plane. So the freight at Stansted are really cargo aircraft dedicated to carry freight. It is those aircraft which are offendingly noisy. The whine of a 777 is very intrusive. You can tell when one is coming."

In 2021 the council agreed a response to the Government adding that in relation to Stansted Airport, there should continue to be a movements limit which should be reduced over time to accommodate only night flights that are deemed essential.

Committee member Councillor Martin Foley added: "Remember this committee took the proposals through cabinet that we should as other airports have done and have the ambition to see a reduction and eventually an end to night flights.

"We are being dumped with night flights - partly because we have less population that complains about it but night bans are not impossible."

The consultation's option 1 removes restrictions on the number of Stansted night flights and the permitted aggregate night noise level* in October 2026.

Option 2 removes controls on the number of Stansted night flights in October 2025, whilst maintaining the controls on the permitted aggregate night noise level. Option 3 keeps the existing night control regime in place.

Stansted parish councillors also acknowledged the airport brings employment - with almost 13,000 jobs - and business to Stansted. But also believed it unwise to loosen regulations until proof is in hand night flights are safer than feared.

A statement said: "It is the parish council’s position restrictions should remain in place, in the absence of convincing evidence night flights are safer than current evidence suggests."

It added: "We don’t believe Stansted Airport is the bogeyman. It brings jobs and business to our community and is a generous backer of local organisations. Still, more night flights have the potential to worsen the health of residents. That’s why we back a continuing of the existing night flight regime."