Edinburgh Airport flight path changes thrown out by regulator

Despite Edinburgh Airport Limited (EAL) conducting three public consultations since 2016 and submitting four versions of its application to the CAA, the regulator concluded that the airport had failed to properly consult the people affected as the information supplied to the public during the consultations differedsubstantially from the actual proposals contained in the airport’s latest application.

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In a statement the CAA said: “EAL has submitted a proposal that does not accord with the material that was provided to stakeholders during consultation.

“The magnitude and severity of the defects mean that stakeholders have not been able to consider and respond to the actual proposal put forward to the CAA for consideration and consequently the CAA will not approve the proposal.”

The decision was welcomed by campaigners who had argued that the routes would subject residents in Kinghorn, Burntisland and Aberdour to increased levels of noise and air pollution.

A spokesman for the Edinburgh Airport Watch group said: “Consultation can only be a meaningful process if people are presented with the full facts that enable them to properly understand what the impact will be on them.

“The CAA has agreed that the airport failed to clearly inform the public about how many planes per day they could expect over their homes, businesses and schools.”

Fife MSP Annabelle Ewing welcomed the decision and has urged airport bosses to, in future, listen and respond to public concerns.