Are we now under a flight path?

[Houseoflego]

Hi all,

Planes seem louder from 4:30. Has it always been like this or has something changed?

Edited September 5 by Houseoflego
Typo

[IlonaM]

Depends where you are. At the south circular end of Underhill I have alternating flight paths - planes fly directly overhead for a week, i.e. over my house, and very intrusive, then the flight path moves and I can see them flying over higher up Underhill/East Dulwich but can't really hear them. Then they come back again, and so on ...

[beansprout]

Been like this for years - flight path changes - use to live off North Cross Road - once years ago counted over 20 in an hour! Felt as though it was coming through living room….

[Sue]

There are planes going to more than one London airport. It's been discussed on here before, but I can't remember the exact details.

Also if memory serves it depends on the prevailing wind exactly what route the planes take on a particular day, but I may be wrong there.

Or maybe they vary the route so the same people don't get the noise each time?

I moved here (also North Cross Road area) over thirty years ago and the plane noise has always been bad. I don't think it's got any worse, though it may have done.

It has always started around 5am or a bit earlier ( on the days the planes take that route, I suppose?)

Concord used to fly over around 5pm each day. That was excellent. It always seemed to be directly over my house, but due to the height of planes I guess many people think they are directly over their house!

Triple glazing in my bedroom has helped, but not completely,  though it wasn't installed for that reason.

Edited September 5 by Sue
Typo

[ConzernedResident]

7 hours ago, Sue said:

There are planes going to more than one London airport. It's been discussed on here before, but I can't remember the exact details.

Also if memory serves it depends on the prevailing wind exactly what route the planes take on a particular day, but I may be wrong there.

Or maybe they vary the route so the same people don't get the noise each time?

I moved here (also North Cross Road area) over thirty years ago and the plane noise has always been bad. I don't think it's got any worse, though it may have done.

It has always started around 5am or a bit earlier ( on the days the planes take that route, I suppose?)

Concord used to fly over around 5pm each day. That was excellent. It always seemed to be directly over my house, but due to the height of planes I guess many people think they are directly over their house!

Triple glazing in my bedroom has helped, but not completely,  though it wasn't installed for that reason.

Depending on winds, ED is on the Westerly approach to London City as well as the easterly approach to Heathrow. There are times when both airports are operating approaches over this part of SE London 

[Kurt_Lane]

I think, from memory for LHR, we are under a holding pattern so if LHR is backed up we may get more planes overhead. There are multiple holding patterns so it is not always ours that is used and it generally depends on the wind direction as to which is used. 

[Sue Klein]

I think it's a combination of police helicopters and instrusive noise from   flights from City Airport. They fly too low over residential areas. I suggested to my MP that they be asked to fly over the river instead of people's homes. It is bad but the noise can be reduced by getting double or tyriple glazing for your bedroom. I now have double glazing and it has reduced the noise but not masked it completel;y as i can now hear a plane right now.

[malumbu]

It's mainly Heathrow, I worked in a related area once.

[Dulwichway]

This location has always been where they line up for the Heathrow glide slope, and depending on the predominant S/Westerly wind direction/speed/gusts/or variable, the engine sound levels will differ, but during a northerly weather/wind direction spell it will be mostly quietish in the skies.

[kbabes]

We have always been on the final approach to LHR depending on the runway in use,  also planes landing from the west at LCY usually circle over ED before approaching over the city.

[Forest Hill Climber]

This is a useful source of info regarding this issue

https://www.hacaneast.org.uk/home/

[Sue Klein]

I didn't have any problems with plane noise until city airport started flying planes to and from about 5-8 minutes apart from 5.30 am or  6 am,  and even with ear plugs and double glazing I am woken at about 6 well before I usually would wake  up. I have lived here since 1986 and it is relatively recently that the planes have been flying far too low over East dulwich. I very much doubt that they are headinbg to Heathrow or from Heathrow. As the crow flies we are much , MUCH closer to City Airport than Heathrow or Gatwick. I even saw one flying so low you could see all the windows, when I was in Peckham Rye Park.

[Forest Hill Climber]

2 hours ago, Sue Klein said:

I didn't have any problems with plane noise until city airport started flying planes to and from about 5-8 minutes apart from 5.30 am or  6 am,  and even with ear plugs and double glazing I am woken at about 6 well before I usually would wake  up. I have lived here since 1986 and it is relatively recently that the planes have been flying far too low over East dulwich. I very much doubt that they are headinbg to Heathrow or from Heathrow. As the crow flies we are much , MUCH closer to City Airport than Heathrow or Gatwick. I even saw one flying so low you could see all the windows, when I was in Peckham Rye Park.

In 2016 London City Airport began using concentrated flight paths. When there's a predominantly westerly wind, incoming aircraft approach from East London (north of the River). When there's a predominantly Easterly wind, incoming aircraft approach the airport from the West: circling through Forest Hill, Dulwich, Vauxhall, Tower Hamlets, Docklands. This latter flight path affects many of us in South East London.

https://www.london.gov.uk/who-we-are/what-london-assembly-does/questions-mayor/find-an-answer/london-city-airport-concentrated-flight-paths

The planes going into City are often below 2,000 ft, so very noisy.

Sometimes we have incoming Heathrow at the same time, flying higher.

The early flights that I hear e.g. 04:30 are incoming to Heathrow. They are scheduled to land at 05:30 but are 'early'. Apparently the government allows a percentage of flights to arrive early and late (but these are now established as regular occurrences, informally part of the schedule).

IMHO Londoners are getting very poor political representation on this issue. Incredible that if you want to complain about aircraft noise, you're supposed to contact the airport concerned! Preposterous and designed solely in favour of aviation expansion.

Edited September 16 by Forest Hill Climber

[malumbu]

Unless we don't fly I don't think we can be too critical of the authorities.  

[sunshine_m]

5 hours ago, Sue Klein said:

I didn't have any problems with plane noise until city airport started flying planes to and from about 5-8 minutes apart from 5.30 am or  6 am,  and even with ear plugs and double glazing I am woken at about 6 well before I usually would wake  up. I have lived here since 1986 and it is relatively recently that the planes have been flying far too low over East dulwich. I very much doubt that they are headinbg to Heathrow or from Heathrow. As the crow flies we are much , MUCH closer to City Airport than Heathrow or Gatwick. I even saw one flying so low you could see all the windows, when I was in Peckham Rye Park.

I assumed that the noise was from Heathrow planes - until the power outage in March that brought everything to a standstill. I still heard plane noise during that time - seems like it's City Airport planes. I wonder whether flight times and patterns can be adapted during the early hours before 6am to minimise noise pollution (e.g. slightly later times and not flying so low).

[Forest Hill Climber]

If you want to check the destination of any aircraft that you can hear overhead, this website can tell you in real-time

https://www.flightradar24.com/

 

[Forest Hill Climber]

On 16/09/2025 at 18:06, malumbu said:

Unless we don't fly I don't think we can be too critical of the authorities.  

I don't agree. That's like saying anyone who listens to music should never complain about a noisy party shaking the adjacent properties at 02:00 in the morning.

[malumbu]

So what you are saying is that you only fly on quiet planes, would never do the red eye back from the US and the like?

[CPR Dave]

On 16/09/2025 at 18:06, malumbu said:

Unless we don't fly I don't think we can be too critical of the authorities.  

Unless we don't cycle I don't think we can be too critical of the authorities. 

 

[jim_the_chin]

Noticeably quiet this morning, barely a plane in the sky above us yet very little wind (at ground level at least) 

[Hen123]

I believe when the wind is low enough or from the east they approach Heathrow from the west. Also if you are struggling with noise the apple AirPods 2 cancel the noise v effectively.