Alright - we know the answer to the title of this video is pretty obvious. In fact,
you’re probably already typing in the answer as a comment before you’ve watched the first
five seconds of this video! But bear with us as we examine night curfews a little more
closely and why they exist at some airports...
When aircraft have to land due to an issue that isn’t an emergency, they will often
return to their point of origin. However, some late-night flights end up diverting elsewhere.
Night curfews can cause this at some airports.
It goes without saying that airports can be a touchy subject for local residents. While
they are essential to allow people to travel the world quickly, many who live near airports
(who aren’t avgeeks and planespotters) may get fed up with the noise of constant arrivals
and departures. While this is harder to avoid during the day, some airports have curfews
during the night to give residents some quiet hours to sleep.
Indeed there are several different types of curfews for airports. Some airports will have
a blanket ban on flight operations between certain hours. This is the case in Frankfurt,
where flights are generally banned between the hours of 11pm and 5am. For Tokyo Narita,
flights are generally banned between 11pm and 6am.
Some other airports have slightly different rules where aircraft below a certain noise
threshold are permitted to operate. This includes jets such as Embraer’s super quiet E195-E2.
However, older, noisier jets might be excluded. In addition, some mix the two rules, with
a blanket ban between certain hours and restrictions on either side.
There are several circumstances where aircraft operations can continue while a curfew is
active. Firstly, any aircraft facing an emergency will typically be able to use the facility
regardless of restrictions. However, this isn’t the case if the aircraft
is returning out of caution for a maintenance issue. In fact, in 2019, a Lufthansa A340
flight that departed from Frankfurt decided to turn back over the Atlantic. As the aircraft
would’ve landed after 11pm, it ended up touching down in Cologne, with the passengers
taking busses for the two-hour drive back to the airline’s main base.
Other airports may have quotas in place for nighttime operations. This is the case at
London Heathrow Airport. Heathrow is limited to 5,800 night operations between 23:30 and
06:00 each year. This averages out at around 15 per day. This allows flights with a genuine
need to use the airport to land while discouraging frequently scheduled operations.
While noise isn’t exclusive to nighttime operations, it may be more noticeable with
less other background noise. Some airports, such as Frankfurt, are well aware of this,
undertaking several programs to reduce noise. Interestingly, Frankfurt Airport charges aircraft
based on the amount of noise they emit. They are placed in one of 16 categories depending
on how much noise they generate. Such changes have prompted several airlines to switch to
quieter aircraft at this particular airport. In 2015, LATAM would’ve paid a change of
€869 for each A340-300 landing at Frankfurt. Meanwhile, using a Boeing 787 would only attract
a charge of €267. The story was the same for Lufthansa. While
its 747-400 attracted a charge of €2,173, the newer 747-8 was only changed €1,292.
Meanwhile, the Airbus A380 drew a bill of €1,298.
Could you tolerate living next to an airport that didn’t have a night curfew? Let us
know by leaving
a comment!