Night flight ban: Prefect proposes Toulouse airport changes
The proposed changes come after a study into the impact of noise pollution
The Haute-Garonne prefect says the plans will reduce noise pollution but the airport management has already said it is opposed to the suggestions
Martin SC photo/Shutterstock
No night flights and a set quota for delays: these are the main points in a new proposal suggested by the Haute-Garonne prefect to fight noise pollution around Toulouse airport.
The proposal is based on a study (l'étude d'impact selon l'approche équilibrée, EIAE) launched by the prefect, Pierre-André Durand, in September 2023, on the impact of noise pollution around the airport.
Mr Durand unveiled the study’s results on September 27, and is now set to bring his proposals to the government.
The aim is to reduce harmful noise pollution in the surrounding area.
The plan’s suggestions include:
Only low-noise flights allowed to take off after 22:00
No flights allowed to take off after 23:30
Only 400 delayed flights per year allowed to land after this time (midnight to 06:00).
It is not clear if the prefect would support penalising airlines that do not meet these constraints.
Toulouse airport is already closed to the public at 23:00, with only arrivals from late flights - and people meeting them - allowed after this time.
Read also: Union fears more French easyJet bases may close after Toulouse
‘A negative impact’
The airport’s management has declared its opposition to the proposal.
In a press release, it said: “This scenario would have a negative impact on the attractiveness of the airport…its economic competitiveness, the dynamic of tourism and the connectivity of the region.”
Toulouse Airport Chairman Philippe Crébassa also sought to play down the issue, saying that already in 2024 the total number of flights operated between midnight and 06:00 has fallen by 25% (landings and take-offs) compared with 2023.
Read also: Hundreds protest against closure of Bordeaux airport runway
The Haute-Garonne (Occitanie) proposal comes days after protesters in Nouvelle-Aquitaine demonstrated against the threat of more noise pollution from the possible closure of a second runway at Bordeaux Airport.
