Yesterday l attended the launch of a study by Delft and sponsored by HACAN on a ban on night flights at the House of Commons. It placed an economic valuation of £860 million nationally of the benefit of having a complete night flight ban at Heathrow. Most of this is associated with the monetary costs associated with sleep deprivation which outweigh any loss of income to the aviation industry.
While this is a national figure, the benefits almost completely accrue to London and in particular the noise contours around Heathrow airport. So we now know the price of a decent nights kip for Londoners throughout the year ….£ 860 million!