Heathrow has rated airlines on their noise performance in the first of a new series of quarterly Fly Quiet tables.

Published today (November 6th), the initial report on the top 50 carriers, based on the volume of flights in the period, uses six key factors - each criteria receives a red, amber or green metric rating, combined for an overall score.

Between July and September 2013, British Airways' short haul flights topped the tables, followed by Virgin Atlantic's Little Red domestic service. Although both of these are short-flight services, five of the top ten are long-haul routes.

Heathrow's sustainability director Matt Gorman said: "The launch of the Fly Quiet programme signals our firm commitment to being transparent about aircraft noise and our progress in reducing its impact on local communities whilst still safeguarding the vital connectivity and economic growth that Heathrow provides."

Of the current list, 80 per cent met the airport's lowest requirements and 94 per cent fulfilled five out of its six criteria - Heathrow will work closely with airlines not currently meeting the minimum targets.

It claims both the number and percentage of movements from quieter aircraft, such as the Airbus A380 and Boeing 787, have doubled in the last year.