Last year, 10 individuals were responsible for more than 60,000 of the 71,041 noise complaints at London Heathrow Airport, Europe’s busiest airport in 2023. These few accounted for 85% of all complaints, with monthly totals ranging from 4,000 to 9,000.
A small group is behind most of Heathrow’s 60,000 noise complaints, with five individuals lodging over 1,280 each. Half of these complaints were about loud aircraft, a quarter about low-flying ones. In early 2024, the top 10 complainers made 15,062 complaints, one person averaging 60 daily. UK Civil Aviation Authority research links plane noise to disrupted sleep, cardiovascular risks, and hindered school performance in children.
Heathrow’s “runway alternation” system provides residents with predictable noise relief by alternating runways for takeoffs and landings at midday. Despite this measure, a small number of locals persist in filing noise complaints. These complaints, along with environmental concerns, have stalled the proposed third runway. A similar trend was seen in Australia, where nearly half of the country’s aircraft noise complaints were made by just one person.