Gatwick Airport has today published a detailed response to the Independent Arrivals Review which was concluded in January.

In its response, Gatwick has accepted or is minded to accept all of the recommendations of the Review. The airport has published an action plan for the implementation of each recommendation, although in some cases further refinement may be needed after more detailed technical and planning work with other stakeholders, and after analysis of community feedback.

The publication of this plan by the end of March fulfils one of the recommendations of the Review. Gatwick has allotted six weeks for local community feedback and to allow all those who took part in the Review to consider its proposed action plan. In some instances, preparatory work has already begun enabling the implementation of recommendations to be completed as soon as possible.

One recommendation of the Review was to put in place an independent Noise Management Board including the main aviation stakeholders and representatives of local communities. This recommendation has been accepted and Bo Redeborn, who led the Review, is being proposed by Gatwick to be the first Chairman of the NMB. Graham Lake, who worked together with Bo on the Review, has been retained by Gatwick as part of a team established to take forward the recommendations.

Gatwick Airport Chairman Sir Roy McNulty said:

“The independent Arrivals Review has proved to be a very constructive process and I am very pleased both by the positive nature of its recommendations and by the positive reception it has received. We have published today an implementation plan for each recommendation and I believe that in aggregate these actions will make a significant difference to the noise impacts experienced by residents around the airport.

“So that the very constructive engagement established by the Review will continue in the future we are keen to establish the independent Noise Management Board it recommended as soon as possible. I think most people have been impressed by the balanced and judicious manner in which Bo conducted the Review and there seems to be strong support for the proposal that he be the first chairman of the independent Noise Management Board. Gatwick is committed to making that Board a successful and effective influence in the management of noise issues in future and we will give it whatever help it needs to make that happen.

“Gatwick has also noted the Review’s recommendation in respect of the in-house resources necessary to implement its proposals. We have already established a team to do this and will be adding further resources in the near future. Once we have assessed community feedback and any further comment from the stakeholders involved in this Review, we will be in a very good position to take swift and effective action on its recommendations.”

Bo Redeborn, who led the Arrivals Review, said:

“I was very pleased by the response of all those concerned to the Arrivals Review and I am now delighted that Gatwick has announced that it will accept all of our recommendations.

“There is clearly a good deal of work to be done to bring this about and I am very pleased to have been proposed to be Chairman of the independent Noise Management Board.

“In that role, one of the first things I would be doing is to monitor how Gatwick, and the other stakeholders who contributed to this Review, implement the recommendations that have now been accepted.”