The Netherlands will present a proposal for an EU aviation tax to the members’ finance ministers at their next meeting, diplomats told POLITICOPRO. The Netherlands sent around a position paper on carbon pricing and aviation tax as base for raising levies on aviation to help meet Europe’s climate goals. UECNA welcomes every measure to discourage air

Three U.S.-based startups, strongly supported by the current U.S. administration, are preparing a comeback of new supersonic aircraft (SST, supersonic transport). The International Council on Clean Transportation made a model of the landing and take-off  noise, the sonic boom, and the CO2 emissions from a new, unconstrained SST network of 2,000 aircraft in 2035. The

The wide-ranging consultation Heathrow launched this month signals the biggest change in flights paths for 70 years. Heathrow is planning the biggest changes to its flight paths since the airport opened in 1946. The prospect of a third runway dominates everything at Heathrow. The current consultation assumes a third runway will be built but, even

Efforts to reach a widely-backed agreement on how Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport can grow past 2020 have failed. Residents, local authority officials and environmentalists don’t accept any further growth of Schiphol at the moment. Now it’s up to the central government to decide. Although a majority of the parties in the Lower Chamber has aviation growth

By Adam Klauber & Isaac Toussie of Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)* Aviation needs a radical new plan to achieve its climate goals. Industry emissions are growing faster than original forecasts and long-term solutions are nowhere in sight. By 2020, carbon dioxide from aviation will reach 1 gigaton per year and the industry will contribute between 3%

The core aim of this renewed 2019 report is to provide an objective, clear and accurate source of information on the environmental performance of the aviation sector at the European level. You can read the executive summery in English or download it in other languages. There you can also find the complete report. UECNA participated

A recent McGill study found unusually high concentrations of potentially harmful airborne nanoparticles around the airport. It is interesting to note that citizens on the streets ask for more studies on the subject. ‘There is some hope that people become more aware of the dangers of aircraft emissions,’ says Pierre Lachapelle from Les Pollués de

ExPlane is the app to register aviation noise with your smartphone. Available for Android en iOS via Google Play and App Store. The app registers time, date, location, noise levels and flight number of the plane that causes the noise above your head. See explane.org for more information.

Transport & Environment, 12 December 2018, Brussels Flight ticket taxes which were first introduced solely to raise revenue can be restructured to deliver greater environmental benefits, a new independent study has found. From taxing the carbon content of fuels to charging planes based on their fuel efficiency, EU governments have several options to encourage airlines

UECNA and Transport & Environment had a very constructive consultative meeting with EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) today. Together with T&E we want to exert influence on environment matters at all levels to improve the situation for the communities around airports. At this first meeting UECNA was represented by his president Dominique Lazarski, Transport &

The Commission published its long term emission reduction strategy today, beginning a process which will end with adoption by member states in May, and which will then inform the new Commission which takes office in late 2019. The 2011 was hugely influential in the resulting legislation, and we expected this strategy to have a similar

Our campaigning friends at Ciampino Airport have had a real success. The authorities have said that by 2020 commercial flights must reduce by 33% and that from December this year there must be no night flights between 23:00 to 06:00. Many of you will know that the campaigners have been arguing for years that the

On October 20th 2018, a conference was held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of UECNA, with the participation of representatives of many European organizations against aircraft noise. President Dominique Lazarski, in her speech explained what UECNA is, analysing its triple role by representing citizens in organizations that UECNA participates: in the European

‘Far more people suffer aircraft noise nuisance than officials acknowledge’ is the header of a 29 October article on DutchNews.nl. For example, Schiphol Airport estimates 19,500 people have seriously disturbed sleep because of low flying planes, but the new report says 40,000 people are affected. (By the way: 1.950 should already be unacceptable. And what

The recent WHO publication setting out its new recommended noise guidelines seems to suggest we are more highly annoyed by aircraft noise than we were 20 years ago. . John Stewart wrote a short paper to discover whether that is actually the case and, if it is so, what the reasons are for it. .

UECNA has existed for 50 years. In that time aviation has grown dramatically.  UECNA is the only Europe-wide body representing the interests of residents.  We will continue to lobby and campaign on the issues of noise, air pollution and climate change.  We will learn the lessons of the past as we build our strategy for

… governments need to act now. Aviation is responsible for 5% of global warming and its rapid growth puts it on track to consume a quarter of the world’s carbon budget by 2050. There is a way to avoid this outcome but we need to act fast, a green transport NGO has said. By driving

Millions of people in Europe live in areas with too much noise according to the new World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Environmental noise is an important public health issue, featuring among the top environmental risks to health. It has negative impacts on human health and well-being and is a growing concern among both the general

IPCC PRESS RELEASE 8 October 2018 Limiting global warming to 1.5ºC would require rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society, the IPCC said in a new assessment. With clear benefits to people and natural ecosystems, limiting global warming to 1.5ºC compared to 2ºC could go hand in hand with ensuring a more

Airplane Noise Complaints Are Skyrocketing: ‘I Start Pushing That Button at 6:33 a.m.’ A new invention allows people in the U.S. to register their annoyance with an inexpensive gizmo, swamping airport systems. This you can read in the Wall Street Journal of August 24, if you pay a euro. Here we write you a summary.

On 9 August members of the Pan-Hellenic Association against the nuisance of the operation of airports ‘Environmental Harmony’ made a symbolic protest in the arrivals area of Athens International Airport. Members of the Board of Directors, Municipal and Local Councillors and Citizens protested against the intransigent attitude of the Airport Administration and its choice of

Although nightly takeoffs and landings are prohibited at Frankfurt Airport, there have been an increasing number of exceptions in recent months. That is why the demand for an increase in landing charges is getting louder after 11 pm. In Hamburg, for example, airlines pay a surcharge of 550 percent to midnight, and then even 700

At the Museumplein in the heart of Amsterdam, some seven hundred residents from the Schiphol region, dressed in red, gathered on Saturday afternoon, June 23, to demonstrate against the growth of aviation. At the same time, hundreds of people went into the streets in five other cities near the Dutch airports. The action was a

For many travelers, travel time is the main reason for choosing the plane. People often think that flying is much faster than the train, but at short distances it does not make much difference now, if you count the travel time to the airport and the waiting time for departure. For example: expansion Schiphol is

Twelve European countries oppose the International Civil Aviation Organization, which continues to lower its environmental requirements. The aviation sector is divided on how to reduce greenhouse gas. This is are the translated headers of an article in Le Monde (original in French on the website). You can also read our translation in English (pdf download).

Residents organisations around the six Dutch airports have established the National Residents Alliance on Aviation (LBBL). They consider that the growth of aviation must stop. The government must ensure a substantial reduction of nuisance caused by aviation and give priority to the protection of the environment, health and climate; Like all companies in the Netherlands,

Schiphol Airport and the Port of Rotterdam are the Dutch ‘mainports’. In  the Netherlands you don’t question the national mainport policy easily. That evokes emotions, rooted in a rich history, with little room for nuance. Nevertheless, the Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (Raad voor de Leefomgeving en Infrastructuur, Rli)  in 2016 thought it necessary

‘The units will increase Heathrow’s noise monitoring capacity and expand its leading-edge noise abatement programme’, writes Aviation Media; for what it’s worth. The big increase in noise monitoring stations are likely to provide a more accurate picture of noise around Heathrow.  The airport will use this information in its efforts to reduce noise.  It has

Airlines flying international routes will be particularly vulnerable to new costs from limits on carbon emissions, according to a new report from Moody’s Investors Service. Here the link to bizjournals.com

The Dutch Topsector Energy (TSE) claims that it’s possible to make flying CO2 neutral by 2030 using synthetic kerosene. TSE is a – according to their website – ‘driving force behind innovations that are necessary for the transition to an affordable, reliable and sustainable energy system.’ The report ‘Carbon Neutral Aviation With Current Engine Technology’

Our Canadian Friends of Les Pollués de Montréal-Trudeau (residents group living near the airport of Montreal) went to court to fight the aircraft nuisances. The first question was if they were allowed to do so. On behalf of the citizen group, their president Pierre Lachapelle noted: “We are pleased to have obtained this authorization. Of

Courtesy of Reid, Geleijnse & Van Tol (translation with admission by Wouter Looman) The original cartoon was published in the leading Dutch newspaper NRC on April 5, 2018.

A fourth runway was opened at Frankfurt Airport on 21 October 2011, raising the noise level and emissions of pollutants in the Rhine-Main area to a new level. Thus, decreasing the quality of life and damaging the health of the people. The protest against this remains strong. ‘Bündnis der Bürgerinitiativen’ originated in the fight against

This is the heading of an article on the Frankfurter Neue Presse website of April 4. Residents around the airport breathe in tens of thousands of New Year’s Eve loads of ultra-fine dust every year? Yes, say experts of the initiative against aircraft noise in Mainz, and rely on measurements of the state of Hesse:

Dutch politicians must withstand the pressure from Schiphol By: Pieter Klok, commentator of De Volkskrant, a leading Dutch newspaper, April 3 The verb ‘to schiphol’ gets a new meaning. Until recently, the word stood for ‘adjusting the calculation method so that the noise pollution disappears as if by magic and the airport can continue to

The Association of Neighbours of Gavà Mar (AVVGM) defends the quality of life of the citizens near the airport of Barcelona, El Prat. They protest against the statements of the president of Vueling, Javier Sánchez-Prieto, who wants to break the environmental restrictions of the airport Barcelona-El Prat. The airport has grown from 32 to 47

Two board members of UECNA have joined the Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection – CAEP. This is a technical committee that assists the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in formulating new policies and adopting new Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) related to aircraft noise and emissions, and more generally to aviation environmental impact. We will

Would people who always take the plane have ever watched the high-speed train network? Go to the Eurail website and click on the train icons to see cities and on the routes to see travel times in our interactive Europe rail map.  

A great success for all the organisations that fight against aircraft noise in Germany: after 40 years of lobbying the Bundestag started a working group on aircraft noise. Participants are coming from all represented political parties. We hope that emissions are also part of the field.

‘Lelystad Airport won’t open next year, too many problems‘, said ChristenUnie, one of the four coalition parties in Dutch government, on January 4 (DutchNews.nl). ‘Trust in the government is now zero and officials will have to be extremely careful to build it up again.’ But authorities keep hitting rock bottom in this dossier (DutchNews.nl, February

We reward our own pieces of good environmental behaviour with extra benefits that largely negate this profit. Above all, others must also do something more about the environment. In this way we will never achieve the climate goals of Paris, can be read in an article in de Volkskrant of 17 February (Plus-article, for now

Aviation Noise Impacts: State of the Science. This is the title of a very informative summary of the current state of scientific knowledge regarding the adverse effects of aircraft noise emissions on the public, published in Noise & Health. ‘Aircraft noise is one, if not the most detrimental environmental effect of aviation. It can cause

The plane, the means of transport that had to provide a closer world, threatens to grow into a climate killer. Can aviation be sustainable in time? Or should we restrict the sector? ‘For a snack to the Philistines’ is the literal translation of Google Translate of the heading of a Dutch article which says that

We found the following document in our archives, in this year that we exist 50 years. A speech on the occasion of our one-year anniversary, about the pollution of aircraft engines. Even if you don’t speak French, the tables are clear.  

Following the opening of the new runway at Frankfurt Airport in October 2011, the quality of life has been significantly reduced due to noise and pollutant emissions in the Rhine-Main region. A simultaneously introduced night-flight restriction (restriction between 11 p. m. and 5 a. m.; however, landing is permitted between 11 p. m. and midnight

A tax on kerosene of 33 cents/litre and 15% on air tickets could generate more than 25 billion euros in revenue annually: Transport & Environment figured it out.

Article in the February 2018 issue of Siné Mensuel,  in English translated by Google Translate. Siné Mensuel is a French satirical newspaper with drawings, of course, but also reports investigations, rants, as you have not read elsewhere … Cartoon courtesy of Siné Mensuel / Berth

The No 3rd Runway Coalition is very critical of the current consultation on Heathrow’s runway plans. People are advised, if they send in a response, to make sure their submission is not taken as tacit agreement with the 3rd runway. The operation of Heathrow airport currently exposes hundreds of thousands of people to the intolerable,

Aircraft engine exhaust emissions are a significant source of ultra fine particles (UFP; aerodynamic diameter <100 nm) and can cause several-fold increases in ground-level particle number concentrations (PNC) over large areas downwind of airports, as a recent study in the United States shows. Exposure to UFP is of particular concern because it is associated with

From 1 January 2018 the aircraft noise tax (Iresa) was introduced in Piedmont, Italy, giving an economic value to the weight, equal to € 0.50 per ton. This was decided at the meeting of the regional commission – which involved Finance and Transport – of 25 October last. The Conference of Regions, in 2012, had

Time Video: How loud noise exposure is linked to heart disease according to new research.

Noise has been found associated with annoyance, stress, sleep disturbance, and impaired cognitive performance. Furthermore, epidemiological studies have found that environmental noise is associated with an increased incidence of arterial hypertension, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and stroke. Observational and translational studies indicate that especially night-time noise increases levels of stress hormones and vascular oxidative stress,

The next carrot the aviation sector is dangling, is a steeper descent during the approach of airports, this is an increase of the glide path. This slope is normally fixed by ICAO at 3° (52.5 meter per kilometer for the decrease in altitude). Increasing it to 3.1° (54 m/km) would mean aircraft would fly 36

Alliance 90 / The Greens in Germany asked the federal government how much fuel was discharged in 2017 by military and civil aircraft. Military as well as civil aircraft dispose of fuel over populated areas. In these so-called fuel dumpings is often not known how much fuel is exactly drained or which specific areas are

Can a circular runway have advantages in the fight against noise pollution, or does it only facilitate extra flights and more people annoyed?

Dutch government urged by airlines to drop tax proposals as NGOs take it to court over ICAO aircraft CO2 standard, writes GreenAir online.  

From the Austrian website http://www.ftwatch.at/flying_green/ “Aviation is the fastest way to the climate crisis. Yet air travel is growing rapidly, with hundreds of new airports currently planned – despite local resistance and an urgent need to abate the climate crisis. The aviation industry has announced its intention to become greener in the future. The report

By: Bert Wagendorp 2 December 2017 (Wagendorp is a prominent news columnist in de Volkskrant, a leading Dutch newspaper, WL – translation Wouter Looman, UECNA; link to the Dutch article) Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management Van Nieuwenhuizen received a thick report yesterday from the ‘Residents Delegation connection routes Lelystad Airport‘. It stated that the

Now you can fly from Amsterdam to Malaga and return for € 56 *. This means € 0.015 per kilometre! Isn’t that cheap? We think it’s too cheap! Wouldn’t it be time to set a minimum price per kilometre? To counteract all these unnecessary attacks on health and environment? What do you think? We can

Transport&Environment on her website: Emails show Airbus writes aircraft CO2 rules; Commission, France, Germany and Spain complicit. This shows once more the importance of independent monitoring by ngo’s!

If the aviation industry is allowed to continue growing as it does now, by 2070 the travel sector alone emits more CO2 than the rest of the world. And then the sector also consumes all ‘CO2 space’ on its own for the entire world. According to Paul Peeters, who recently obtained his doctorate on a

IJburg-like locations will also be developed in the western part of Amsterdam In the coming years, a few hundred thousand houses have to be built in the area around Schiphol Airport. With the current legislation this is impossible and citizens have to be silenced. The aviation sector and local governments have sought opportunities to solve

Environmental impact of aircraft: France is blocking progress France Nature Environnement (FNE) and Transport et Environment (T&E) two most important environmental NGOs and UECNA,  sole NGO whose aim is the protection of citizens suffering from aircraft pollution at European level, have impressed upon the French Ministry of Transports, Ms Elisabeth Borne. The EC has the

In Dutch media we see a large stream of negative articles concerning Schiphol Airport. Politicians are not amused. State Secretary Sharon Dijksma of Infrastructure and Environment is having the environmental impact assessment (MER) of Schiphol Airport re-examined; read the article on nltimes. A leading newspaper opens today with:   ‘GeSchiphold’ means ‘being Schipholed’: a phrase

The ICAO plan for aviation biofuels targets was rejected by 25 member countries, reported Transport + Environment on October 14. Earlier T+E stated that ICAO’s ‘green fuel’ plan is  a Trojan horse for palm oil. ‘Aviation is responsible for 5% of man-made climate change; the sector currently emits around 2.3% of annual global CO2 emissions.

Andrew Murphy from T+E, with who UECNA cooperates closely on aviation issues, reports a positive outcome on the aviation ETS vote in the EU Parliament today. ‘This is a big boost for Europe’s right to regulate its aviation emissions, and so opens the doors to a lot more.’ To summarise the highlights: An annually declining

The aviation sector is talking about ‘Monthly Records!’, ‘Milestones’ and ‘Celebrations’. We are not so happy…

An administrative court refused the claim of the town Mainz, Germany, against aircraft noise from Frankfurt Airport. ‘This town has not the right to claim’, the Hessische Verwaltungsgerichtshof explained, ‘because they are too far away to be accepted in a public inquiry against the airport expansion of Frankfurt.’ Mainz is 25 kilometers flying from the

The Aviation Environment Federation published a news item on Heathrow’s third runway:

4.2% More flights in Europe during the first half of 2017 compared with the same period last year and that’s at the high end of the forecast. For July an increase of 5.2% is expected. Those figures come from Industry Monitor, the Eurocontrol bulletin on air transport trends. Amsterdam Schiphol remains the busiest European airport

HACAN – the Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise – has today released 12 videos it shot where people tell how aircraft noise disturbs them, some over 20 miles from Heathrow. You can click on a map and hear the people tell their stories. They are deliberately released now in advance of the

The Brussels government and several municipalities of the capital, and with them their residents, won their case against Brussels Airport: the judge supports the complainants. This means that no more night flights over Brussels are allowed on the Ring and Canal routes, and that the operation of the landings on runway 01 must be ended.

According to the law on the protection of aircraft noise from 2007, the German federal government issued the annual report 2017 for the parliament. In particular, noise protection values are evaluated, taking into account developments in noise research and aeronautics. The federal government intends to go beyond this legal mandate: it wants to include a

‘185,500 take-offs and landings a year lead across parts of the city of Berlin – at least 240,000 air traffic sufferers suffer year after year. City airports have no future: aircraft noise makes people sick and hinders the development of the growing city in the affected districts. Tegel Airport is old, has reached its limits

Next week there is an important voting concerning the European emission trading scheme. This week we contacted our countrymen in the European parliament to convince them to vote for the most ambitious proposal possible. What is at stake? Transport & Environment published a document with the following summary: The complete text you can find here.

Show political responsibility, implement noise control measures! On September 24 there are Bundestag elections in Germany and the parties in Berlin are keen to determine their programs for the coming ruling period. This time the protection against aircraft noise is finally massively considered by all participants. The authorities, municipalities and Bundestag were represented at the

In addition to our last message we contacted Lars Brogaard of the union of airport workers at Copenhagen Airport (CPH), who was mentioned in the 2012 report about threatened health. We asked him the state of affairs five years later. His answer was rather optimistic, referring to a Danish newsletter of June 2017. ‘Yes, things

People working at airside at airports are exposed to potentially health damaging air pollution. The National Board of Industrial Injuries in Denmark attributes several cancer cases to the air pollution in airports. This work-related pollution is a serious and overseen threat for the workers. The main concern is ultra-fine particles of both aircraft and diesel

Here you will find a press release of today’s Day Against Noise, together with the list of claims of the Bundesvereinigung gegen Fluglärm, BVF, the umbrella organisation against aircraft noise of Germany. Both texts are in German. BVF-PM Tag gegen Lärm Position BVF gesetzlicher Schutz vor Fluglärm

Lony Wesseling, former Vice President of UECNA, was interviewed on Dutch television about the results of a report of the Security Council concerning incidents around Schiphol Airport. With English subtitles (WL).

Frankfurt Airport and Lufthansa sponsored an open air classic music festival in the Rhine-Main area. Fluglärm Mainz, an initiative group against aircraft noise, stated that it is no longer possible to enjoy this kind of cultural events undisturbed because of the noise from Frankfurt Airport. Reason for the concert organisation to go to court in

The Rheinland-Pfalz Exhibition in Mainz, Germany, has once again a booth on the aircraft noise problems in the Rhein-Main area (Hall 7 booth # 736). This booth is built and organized by the local group ‘Lebenswertes Mainz und Rheinhessen e.V.’. In hall 6, booth # 610 ‘Trullo mit der Stille-Gruppe’ shows the activities of the

Several French environmental or residents organisations near the Parisian airports including the French umbrella NGO – UFCNA – fighting for the protection of citizens living under flight paths  are suing the French state for failure to comply with the 2002-49 Environmental Noise Directive. The presse releases can be found (in French) on UFCNA website :

Airportwatch just published their latest bulletin : Bulletin N°93 Feb. 2017

Noise Conference, 24 April 2017, Brussels, Belgium About the conference Prolonged exposure to road, railway and aircraft traffic noise can cause sleep disturbance and annoyance. This can lead to serious health effects such as cardiovascular diseases. In the European Union, more than 120 million people suffer from noise levels that are considered to have a negative effect

With 108 airports hosting passengers flights of which 57 offer regular air services, France could be considered sufficiently if not too equipped. A new report published a few days ago analyses the French airports offer and makes suggestions as to how the network could be more efficient. The report only exist in French and can

On February 7 citizens around Schiphol presented a petition to the Dutch parliament’s Lower Chamber WE Residents Environment Schiphol ASCERTAIN The development of Schiphol is not in balance with the environment because Schiphol Airport grows faster than agreed, while the noise abatement remains; From the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) shows that instead of a spectacular

[metaslider id=5556] Aviation is far away from reaching Paris climate targets after the European Commission proposed not to regulate CO2 from flights from and to Europe, wrote Transport & Environment on February 3. Reuters also reports that foreign flights slip under the radar of EU emissions limits.

Every Monday, every week, the residents in the vicinity of Frankfurt airport demonstrate against the expansion of the airport. On January 30, it was the 200th time such demonstration happened. You may watch the video below :

A good brochure on emissions by aviation affecting climate change and citizens’ health with some consideration on economic aspects. Written by a group of activists defending the point of view of the citizens, this brochure is mostly in French with the good parts in English (summary, introduction and conclusion). You will find it here :

Aviation is not included in the discussion at COP 21! Although aviation plans to double its traffic in the next 20 years, there is no agreement on the reduction of its emissions and there will not be one at COP 21 as is has been excluded from the talks. UECNA supports Transport & Environment’s action which

Presentation of the midterm assessment   On 12 November 2015, the European Commission presented the public study at midterm of the 2011 transport white paper. Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc opened the meeting by recalling the five core areas of the white paper (i) a single transport market, (ii) an internal market, (iii) sustainable transport, (iv) smart transport and

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Joint Communiqué of people and municipalities affected by air, road and train noise for the European elections 2014 We are calling on candidates for the European Parliament to use their influence to finally control the growing environmental impact of noise caused by aircraft, roadways and railway traffic through appropriate measures, providing the necessary budgets and

Thousands of people marched in Germany against airport expansion as part of the German election campaign. Below are some of the exciting pictures and videos.

Transport & Environment hosted a seminar on Monday 16 September to discuss the new draft guidelines on State aid to airports and airlines. The Agenda included aviation campaigners, experienced aviation State aid lawyers and the department of the European Commission responsible for the guidelines. The seminar was run under the Chatham House rule. Thus no

A great video from Reuters, just out, illustrating the health impacts of living under the noisy Heathrow flight path based on the recent study from Imperial College in London.

“Attacking regional airports is not the solution to the problem of fiscal and social dumping by low cost airlines”, said Franck Proust MEP on Tuesday afternoon during a panel discussion that was held in the European Parliament. “Rather than endangering the survival of regional airports, the European Commission should regulate the relationship between traditional companies

If you are a member, check your emails, you should now have received the invitation to the 2015 Annual Meeting: When : 28 March 2015 from 9:00 to 16:00 Where : Mundo B building – Rue d’Edimbourg, 26 – 1050 Brussels – Belgique You are welcome to arrive on Friday evening (27 March), we will all

Funded in 2000, Airportwatch is an umbrella organisation campaigning for a sustainable and equitable aviation policy in Europe. Airportwatch can count on powerful organisations like Aviation Environment Federation, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, WWF UK to cite a few… for support in the struggle. Airport watch produces news bulletins every 6 weeks or so to