Concerns over new plans at Glasgow Airport

Cambuslang community council has expressed concerns regarding planned new flight paths over the town.

Members objected to the proposed changes to flight paths out of Glasgow Airport – which could see more planes soar above Rutherglen and parts of Cambuslang.

If the plans are passed, one route will run directly over the Royal Burgh and will be used by an estimated 53 per cent of all the airport’s runway five traffic.

On average it will involve up to four flights an hour between 6am and 10.30pm. The area affected would extend into western parts of Cambuslang such as Eastfield, Silverbank and Whitlawburn.

The second flight path would cross Cambuslang to the east and would be used for night-time traffic departing between 11pm and 6am, and involve up to one flight an hour.

The community council also expressed concerns over the noise pollution which they say would reach in the range of 60-75 decibels.

A spokesman for the group said: “We understand the motivations for the proposed changes in terms of efficiency of aircraft movement on the ground and in the air, as well as fuel economy.

“However, this will clearly be at the expense of the people of Rutherglen and Cambuslang who will suffer a much greater concentration of aircraft noise during some periods.

“We therefore urge Glasgow Airport strongly to provide accurate information on the actual variation in daily/weekly usage of the flightpaths to ensure that the public under the flightpaths have a realistic understanding of noise disturbance at different times of the day; and to modify their proposals to ensure greater distribution in the routing of aircraft across a wider area, reducing the impact on Rutherglen and Cambuslang.”

Glasgow Airport closed its consultation process earlier this month and is currently in the process of reviewing the feedback to collate a post-consultation report, due in the next eight to 10 weeks. If the plans are implemented, the new flight path would become operational early next year.