The folks around Manchester, England’s airport are demanding that airport officials enact a curfew to prevent air traffic operations from midnight to 5 a.m. But Manchester Airport Director Kevin Dillon said he won’t ask airlines or cargo carriers to abide by curfews. He claims that successful airports don’t start “throwing curfews in the way of” cargo carriers or airlines. One local resident, Mike Kiertscher, told the Union Leader, “Just from 12 (midnight) to 5 (a.m.), shut the airport down … So FedEx (delivery) arrives at noon instead of 10 a.m., whoopdeedo.” Not particularly worried about the potential negative impact this move could have on the busy airport and its dependant businesses, local residents still demand this restriction. The swarm of complaints began last summer when residents were bothered by aircraft noise because all flights were temporarily shifted to the airport’s east-west runway during runway reconstruction. Here in the U.S., similar complaints have been raised at several GA airports. You may remember AVweb‘s reporting on San Jose Airport’s battle with its surrounding communities. However, few airports have mandatory curfews, as enforcing one is rather costly. Just talk to the Naples, Fla., airport authority, which has been engulfed in a legal battle with the FAA.
