Night flights ruling could come before Christmas
A ruling that could finally spell the end of night flights may now be delivered before Christmas following this morning's appeal hearing in the European Court of Human Rights at Strasbourg.The UK Government's bid to overturn last October's landmark judgment that night flights violated human rights was heard by seventeen judges sitting in the Grand Chamber.
The case had been brought originally by eight west London residents. Wandsworth Council had helped to raise £100,000 towards the residents' legal costs for the two hearings from local authorities affected by early morning arrivals at Heathrow.
Council leader Edward Lister said that after today's three hour hearing campaigners were more confident than ever of getting the right result:
"The message from Strasbourg is that despite being faced with the full might of the UK Government and their legal team headed by the Attorney General himself the residents' case held up superbly.
"Having won the day last time round nothing has happened today to shake our belief that the Government has got it wrong on night flights.
"It could even be that we will get a decision much sooner than expected. For anyone living under the flightpath who is woken at 4.30am by the first arrival of the day this could turn out to be the best Christmas present ever."
13 November 2002
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