The evaluation period on Gatwick departure Route 4 closed on 26th November 2016, and the CAA then set about deciding the fate of this Route and of residents newly blighted by it. The CAA’s formal conclusions on Route 4 were published on 7th April 2017 (the CAA’s Conclusions, and our Commentary upon them, can be found here).
Plane Justice is pressing for Route 4 to be returned (whether using P-RNAV or conventional navigation) to the geographical position and dispersal pattern it occupied for decades up to 2012 (the so-called ‘legacy position’), which kept the peace for decades in all communities north of Gatwick, with negligible complaints about noise. The flight path ‘swathe’ of this legacy route is shown in the left-hand graphic at the bottom of this page.
You can read more about Route 4 below, and if you’d like to help by supporting our LEGACY PLEDGE, please click here for more details
What is the Route 4 campaign about?
- Route 4 is the departure route from Gatwick which takes around 38% of all westerly departing aircraft. The Route was altered in May 2016 and now overflies new clusters of population in Newdigate, Capel, Leigh, Norwood Hill, Sidlow and Salfords, and with a more concentrated flight path after the turn. It also blights the lives of Horley and Outwood residents due to changed vectoring practices by Air Traffic Control, forced upon them by the changed Route 4. The Route uses new aircraft navigation technology known as P-RNAV (basically ‘sat nav for planes’) which was probably rushed into use too early, before it had developed to a level of sophistication to make it fit for purpose.
- Plane Justice is pressing for Route 4 to be returned (whether using P-RNAV or conventional navigation) to the geographical position and dispersal pattern it occupied for decades up to 2012 (the so-called ‘legacy position’), which kept the peace for decades in all communities north of Gatwick, with negligible complaints about noise. The flight path ‘swathe’ of this legacy route is shown in the left-hand graphic below.
- The swathe of the legacy route is compliant with the relevant ‘noise preferential route’ (NPR) legislation, which states that aircraft are deemed to comply with the NPR if they fly within 1.5 kilometres either side of the NPR centre line, or are above 4,000 feet if outside it.
- There is clear evidence that the new Route 4 introduced in May 2016 (see right-hand graphic below), when flown in ‘real world’ conditions, is not compliant with the criteria set for it by the CAA and is based on a fundamentally flawed design. Aircraft are struggling to fly the Route in large numbers, causing the turn to’balloon out’ and blast many more residents with higher levels of noise; And there are knock-on problems for Horley and Outwood when aircraft leave the new Route to make way towards their destinations.
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WHAT PLANE JUSTICE IS CALLING FOR: |
THE ROUTE TO MISERY: |