Update from•Gordon Robertson,•Director of Communications at Edinburgh Airport on proposed alteration of flight paths:

This programme involves a two stage consultation. The initial consultation began today, 6 June, at midday and runs until 23:59 on 12 September 2016.

During the initial consultation, we’re asking for views on the potential impact of altering flight paths above Edinburgh. This feedback is gathered during a 14 week process. At the end of this process, the feedback will be reviewed and used to determine the optimum flight paths for Edinburgh in consultation with the National Air Traffic Service (NATS) and the Civil Aviation Authority. Once these new flight paths are developed, a second consultation process will begin for 12 weeks to ask for feedback on the specific flight path designs. Then the second round of feedback will be used to determine Edinburgh Airport’s Airspace Change Proposal which will be presented to the Civil Aviation Authority.

The question being consulted on during the initial consultation is, “What local factors should be taken into account when determining the position of the route within the corridor given the potential impacts, and why?”

This is a very detailed process and I want to make sure that you have all the information you need to be able to feedback yourselves and importantly, assist your constituents in responding, during both phases. We have developed an interactive website -; www.letsgofurther.com – which includes information on the proposal and the process• and allows consultees to input a postcode and see how the airspace change proposals may affect your community.

During the consultation, we will not be able to provide data based on adhoc requests as the consultation is about finding out about local factors. You know your community best. I wanted to write to you to ask how you’d like Edinburgh Airport to communicate this consultation within your community.

This consultation is being run in accordance with the Civil Aviation Authority’s CAP725 Airspace Change Guidance. To give you confidence, we have also commissioned a Quality Assurance of our consultation process by the Consultation Institute (consultationinstitute.org).

Over the next 14 weeks, there will be advertising campaigns and a mailbox drop to 640 000 households in EH, KY and FK postcodes pointing people to the website to provide their feedback. We have also opened a PO Box for those who prefer to communicate or provide their feedback by hand.

Edinburgh Airport

PO Box 17473

EDINBURGH

EH12 1ND

We’ll be providing to all community councils in the postcode area as well as other stakeholders and are asking communities how best to present the information and gather feedback in their areas.