The UK government has started a new consultation on night-time noise from three major London airports.

The consultation will seek views on aircraft noise caused by night flights operating at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports.

The government is reviewing policies around night flights after airlines were given dispensation to operate more overnight services in summer 2022 due to an increase in late-running flights, as the aviation sector was hit by disruption due to a lack of staffing.

Aviation minister Baroness Vere of Norbiton said: “There’s no doubt night flights have an effect on local residents underneath busy flightpaths, but as aircraft become quieter, we have an opportunity to strike a balance to make sure we can support the aviation industry without having a debilitating impact on people’s lives.

“This consultation will help us to shape policy and create a flightpath towards a more sustainable approach to night-time aviation noise.”

The six-week consultation on night-time noise abatement objectives is designed to gather views and evidence from the industry and affected communities.

The government said the results will “set the groundwork” around how future measures will be used to manage aviation noise at night at the three London airports from October 2025. 

“Given the number of night flight dispensations allowed during the early part of last summer, it’s vital to take this additional evidence into account before publishing any revision to our night flight dispensation guidance,” added the Department for Transport in a statement.