A CONTROVERSIAL proposal to allow round-the-clock flights in and out of Aberdeen airport took a major step forward yesterday.
Aberdeen City Council's planning committee approved the application by BAA which would make all three of its Scottish airports - Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen - 24-hour operations.
A counter proposal, which would have allowed flights to be scheduled only between 6am and midnight but would have allowed all flights to land and take off at any time if late, was defeated by nine votes to six.
However, because more than three councillors opposed the application, the final decision will now be made by all 43 councillors at the next full council meeting on March 2.
At the moment fixed-wing flights, scheduled to take off or land before 10.30pm, are allowed to take off until 11pm and land until 11.30pm.
Business leaders say that it is vital for the economy to keep the airport open around the clock and of the 202 letters relating to the new application 108 are in favour and 94 against.
Proposing the approval of the application, Scott Cassie, committee convener, said:
"Aberdeen is the energy capital of Europe. In truth we are served by an airport whose limited opening hours are quite frankly a joke throughout the north-east and the world.
"Time has moved in since the late 1970s when these archaic hours were approved."
He said 94 objections from a region with a population of 500,000 was not a lot.
Opposing the application, Brian Rattray said that it was an overstatement to suggest that the whole economy of the north-east depended on the airport opening 24 hours.
He doubted whether the number of flights the airport claimed would be added by 24hour operation would have any impact on the city's economy but there would be a clear impact on residents.
"The effect will be that newly born babies and their parents, the very sick and the elderly will lose sleep. People in work who are already under pressure and stress will only get worse if they lose sleep."
After the meeting, Peter Noyce, Aberdeen airport manager, said: "We are of the view we have made a carefully considered and constructive case which takes into account the views of all concerned and we hope the council accepts the advice of its planning officials."
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