Working towards a quieter Heathrow

Air traffic control changes

29 March 2018

On 4 April, NATS – the air traffic service provider across the UK – is introducing a new electronic flight strip system. While air traffic controllers get used to operating this system, NATS have asked Heathrow to temporarily spread out the number of morning flights that air traffic controllers handle. More information about this can be found here.

Welcome to Heathrow's aircraft noise website

We know that as well as bringing huge benefits to the UK, an airport the size and importance of Heathrow has downsides for people living nearby, in particular the challenge of aircraft noise.

Heathrow is at the forefront of international efforts to tackle noise. As a result, even though the number of planes has gone up, Heathrow's noise footprint has shrunk considerably over the past few decades. But despite these efforts we know that noise remains an issue. We are committed to addressing it and to reduce the impact of noise on residents.

This site explains Heathrow’s operations including information on flights paths and the rules governing the airport. You can track flights on maps, make a noise complaint and find out what we’re doing to make Heathrow quieter. You’ll also find information on future plans including potential airspace changes.