Extra night flights at Birmingham Airport approved

Extra night flights to and from Birmingham Airport have been approved.

Councillors in Solihull, where the airport is based, agreed to increase the number of night flights in a vote of seven in favour, two against.

This will see an increase from 5% to 7.3% in flights arriving or leaving between 23:30 and 06:00 GMT, thought to average about 21 flights a night.

The airport has argued increased night flying is necessary to continue its growth and deliver benefits to the region's economy but some Warwickshire councillors expressed anger at not being consulted and a public consultation saw a 642-strong petition against the plan and 243 objections.

Barston parish councillor Jeremy Emmett asked for the application to be rejected adding the health effects of sleep deprivation were well documented.

"The roar of aircraft disrupted this (tranquillity) every hour," he said.

"Peaceful nights are already a distant memory."

David Sandells, a Hampton-in-Arden parish councillor, said: "The World Health Organisation defines eight hours as a typical night time sleep period.

"The existing night time flight policy already reduces this to six-and-a-half, this is already generous to the airport."

Mark Wilson for Smiths Wood ward pointed out the council declared a climate emergency in 2019.

"This application is not compatible with that," he said.

Knowle ward councillor Dave Pinwell said residents in general appreciated living next to the airport, wanted to get to more destinations and were happy to take night flights.

In October, the airport announced that it had applied for permission to increase the number of night flights as it aimed to handle 18 million passengers a year by 2033.

A spokeswoman said the airport would not breach its current limit of 5,171 night flights per year.

Councillors in North Warwickshire, which covers towns such as Kingsbury and Atherstone, about 16kim (10miles) from the airport, said they were "appalled" they were not consulted.

Mark Simpson, ward councillor for Fillongley, said: "I would have thought this would be something any reasonable neighbouring authority would have consulted with us on."

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