Birmingham Airport made a series of mistakes as it tested new flight paths following the extension of its runway and risks permanently damaging relations with nearby residents, the Commons had been warned.
MP Caroline Spelman (Con) said the local community had traditionally supported the airport but this was changing because of the poor handling of the introduction of new flight paths.
And Transport Minister Robert Goodwill told the Commons: “I hope that the airport will listen to the concerns raised tonight and will act on them.”
It follows months of controversy over trials to help the airport decide on new flight paths. Last year, more than 2,000 residents living near Birmingham Airport signed a petition warning their lives were being made a misery by noise caused by trials launched in May.
The airport has now announced its preferred flight path, which will involve planes turning so that they minimise noise levels over the nearby village of Hampton-in-Arden.
Mrs Spelman told the Commons that she welcomed this decision, but there must be a trial period to ensure it does indeed minimise the level of noise experienced by residents.
However, she also said the process of testing out different routes had been “poor”.
She warned: “The local community feels it has not been listened to, particularly in the rejection of its proposal for an option 6a, an alternative flight path that would have minimised noise nuisance.”
She added: “The airport enjoyed previously a really good relationship with the surrounding community. It is landlocked on three sides by residential accommodation, and quite dense accommodation at the northerly end of the runway.
“It is so disappointing that the difficulty with these trials has damaged public trust. The most important thing now is to restore that trust.”
The comments were echoed by Wyre Forest MP Mark Garnier (Con), who told the Commons: “Many of us agree that expansion of Birmingham airport could benefit the area, so it is vital that the airport has a better working relationship with the community to ensure that its views are heard.”
Mr Goodwill said: “It is clearly in the interests of the airport to establish and maintain good relations with those in its local communities, many of whom are also its customers.”
An airport spokesman said: “Birmingham Airport has been trialling two potential flight paths since May 2014 as part of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) ‘Airspace Change Process’ required as a result of the runway extension. The two options being trialled were consulted on prior to this, in 2013. The airport will submit its preferred Option to the CAA in May for approval by the CAA in September.”
