Long-standing rules which govern the number of night flights arriving and taking off from Gatwick and other major airports look set for the chop.

The Government's Civil Aviation Bill, which had its Third Reading in the Commons this week, contains a Clause which deletes the existing safeguards and paves the way for an unlimited number of night flights.

Peter Ainsworth commented:

"Many people who live under the Gatwick flight-path already suffer from sleep deprivation and stress from the noise of planes arriving at anti-social hours. Whilst it is true that there has been a welcome reduction in average aircraft noise in recent years, this should not be taken as an excuse to enable twenty-four hour disturbance."

Following strong representations to Mr Ainsworth from Tandridge District Council and Reigate & Banstead Borough Council, Conservatives tabled an amendment to the Bill which would have kept the existing limits. The Government defeated the amendment by 65 votes. The Bill now passes to the Lords' where there is a final chance to reverse the decision.

During the debate, Peter Ainsworth highlighted the perversity of the Government's decision and clashed with Laura Moffatt, Labour MP for Crawley, who supported the abolition of the night flight quota. “She knows”, he said, “that her constituents and mine will be the first to suffer.”