Our Role

The importance of consultation about an airport has long been recognised by the Government. That view is consolidated in the Civil Aviation Act 1982, in which section 35 makes provision for the Secretary of State for Transport to designate airports “for the purpose of consultation”. In those cases the setting up of a consultative committee is recommended. The latest Guidelines covering the work and role of consultative committees were published by the Government in December 2003.

Consultative Committees, and Luton is no exception, have no executive role in the decision making process of the Airport. But the aim of the Committee is to ensure that as wide a range of views as possible is made available to the London Luton Airport management team so that they can take account of the issues which are of concern to those using the airport, working at it or living around it.

Our terms of reference and purpose, as set out in our constitution, are included in full elsewhere on this web site.

The Consultative Committee is supported by 2 sub-committees one (The Noise and Track Sub-Committee) dealing with noise and track keeping issues while the other (Passenger Services Sub-Committee) concerns itself with the totality of the passenger experience including getting to the airport, security and immigration as well as terminal facilities. Other groups are established as needed to consider particular topics.

Whilst LLACC, NTSC and PSSC comprise representatives from the member organisations there are, in many cases, advisors also in attendance. LLACC also has a Noise Consultant to advise on technical issues, often by way of drafting reports and responses for the Committee to consider.

Committee members need to be familiar with the airport itself and visits, as in this photograph, visits to the airport take place when appropriate.
 

LLACC

London Luton Airport Consultative Committee (LLACC) meets as a full committee four times year, normally in January, April, July and October (the AGM). 

The agenda for LLACC includes reports from the airport management, usually under four main headings:

Managing Director’s report, which provides an overview of key issues.

Quarterly Planning, Environmental Management & Surface Access Report, which covers planning, surface access and development issues as well as the Community Engagement Strategy.

Quarterly Environment Report which provides extensive data on aircraft movements, noise monitoring, route analysis and noise/track keeping complaints.

Quarterly Economic Report which identifies changes to airline services, customer services and general complaints.

The agenda also includes a report from Luton Borough Council and then reports on other topics, particularly current consultations from the Department for Transport or others.

Meetings are normally held at Putteridge Bury Conference Centre, starting at 1.00pm. A public gallery is available for members of the public or the press who wish to observe these meetings.

The chairman of the Committee (and the sub committee) is appointed by London Luton Airport but is independent of the airport and the other bodies on the Committee. Some of the reports and consultation responses from the Consultative Committee are included in the news section of this web site.

NTSC

There is also a Noise and Track Sub Committee (NTSC) that meets 3 to 4 weeks prior to the main meeting. The agenda for NTSC includes the Quarterly Environment Report which is considered in detail, including studying the noise and track keeping complaints.

 

Recommendations are made to LLACC on those issues considered to be of importance in seeking to solve difficult technical problems.
 

NTSC also looks at specific noise and track keeping issues so as to help reduce the impact of flying on the local communities.

The representatives on NTSC are expected to have a detailed knowledge of the specialist issues they discuss so as to help the airport minimise disturbance. That is challenging at a growing airport. Some of the NTSC members can be seen here taking their own noise measurements.
 

Policy Monitoring

In 1978 Luton Borough Council affirmed the importance of monitoring the noise levels, employment, housing and surface access effects of the airport (which at that time they owned). They placed on record their willingness to discuss the results with interested bodies and, in particular, the London Luton Airport Consultative Committee.

The Annual Monitoring Report is prepared jointly by Luton Borough Council and London Luton Airport Operations Ltd and published around March each year. It has sections covering:

• Aircraft movements
• Routes
• Runway usage
• Noise monitoring data
• Noise contours
• Complaints
• Employment
• Surface access
• Planning

Copies of the most recent reports can be downloaded below.

 

News

We make frequent responses to consultations on national and local aviation issues, particularly to the Department for Transport. Some of the more important ones are included here.

News Continued