Stansted Airport Noise & Flight Paths

Flight paths, night-flight controls, aircraft tracking, noise complaints, monitoring and sound-insulation information for communities around London Stansted Airport.

Track an Aircraft Use Stansted WebTrak to investigate a specific flight Make a Noise Complaint Submit directly to Stansted's Flight Evaluation Unit Flight Path Maps Official arrival and departure track maps Noise for Your Area Location-specific Stansted Community Noise Portal

How Stansted Flight Paths Work

One Runway, Two Directions

Stansted has one runway. The airport says Runway 22, with south-westerly operations, is used for roughly 70% of the year, while Runway 04, with north-easterly operations, is used for roughly 30%.

Actual use varies with wind and can change considerably from month to month.

Departures

Departing aircraft initially use one of six Noise Preferential Routes (NPRs): three from each end of the runway. The routes are known by the broad directions Buzad, Clacton and Dover.

Aircraft normally remain within the NPR until reaching the route's required release altitude, typically 3,000ft or 4,000ft depending on route and time.

Arrivals

Arrivals do not have fixed routes in the same way as departures. Air traffic control sequences aircraft through controlled airspace before they join the final approach and Instrument Landing System.

Why Tracks Can Vary

Wind, thunderstorms, other traffic and air-traffic-control requirements can all change the exact track used. Safety takes priority over noise-preferential routing.

Official Stansted noise overview

Flight Path Maps

Official tracks from the airport's aircraft monitoring system.

Stansted's published maps show actual aircraft tracks recorded over 92 consecutive summer days. Departure maps also show the 3km-wide Noise Preferential Routes.

Easterly departure tracks Westerly departure tracks Arrivals towards the north-east Arrivals towards the south-west

Night Flights — Current Controls

Government bridging regime running from October 2025 to October 2028.

Night period 23:00–07:00 The wider eight-hour night period used in noise policy.
Night quota period 23:30–06:00 Government movement and quota-count restrictions apply in this period.
Winter movement limit 5,600 Seasonal maximum under the current Government regime.
Summer movement limit 8,100 Seasonal maximum under the current Government regime.
Winter noise quota 3,310 QC Seasonal quota-count noise budget.
Summer noise quota 4,650 QC Seasonal quota-count noise budget.

The quota-count system assigns noisier aircraft a higher QC value, so both aircraft movements and total permitted noise energy are controlled. Certain dispensed movements are treated separately under Government rules.

Government night-flight regime

Investigate or Report Aircraft Noise

1. Find the Flight

Stansted's free WebTrak service shows fixed-wing arrival and departure tracks, aircraft height, type and flight information.

WebTrak data is delayed by approximately 24 hours.

Open WebTrak

2. Submit a Complaint

Complaints can be submitted through WebTrak or the airport's dedicated complaint form. Stansted asks for a full postal address plus the specific date and time of the disturbance.

Make a noise complaint
Stansted says it monitors and records flight-track and noise data regardless of whether a complaint is made. It also operates a noise-penalty scheme for aircraft exceeding set noise limits.

Sound Insulation Grant Scheme

Current Stansted Airport assistance for qualifying properties within the noise footprint.

Zone A Up to £6,200
Zone B Up to £9,900
Zone C Up to £12,400
Zone D Relocation assistance

Current grant values are stated by Stansted as correct from 1 April 2026 and are reviewed annually. New applications are accepted between 1 April and 31 October each year.

A residential property may qualify if it falls inside the scheme boundary, was built before June 2021 and is an individual Council Tax dwelling.

Recommended measures can include double or secondary glazing, acoustic loft insulation, door work and, where appropriate, mechanical ventilation or solar blinds.

Check the Sound Insulation Grant Scheme

Noise Monitoring & Airport Commitments

Noise Action Plan 2024–2028

Stansted's current five-year Noise Action Plan sets out measures used to manage and mitigate aircraft noise. It was signed off by the Secretary of State in November 2024.

Noise Action Plan

Noise Monitoring

Fixed monitors beneath departure routes measure take-off noise, while mobile equipment is also deployed in nearby communities for longer-term monitoring.

Noise monitoring reports

Noise Performance

Track-keeping, noise infringements, complaints and annual noise-performance information are published by the airport.

Noise performance

Future Flight Paths & Consultations

Airspace consultations and flight-path trials can affect communities around the airport. Use the airport's future-plans section for current proposals.

Future plans

Local Operating Restrictions

Pilots should avoid flying over the centre of Bishop's Stortford, except where safety requires otherwise.
Sawbridgeworth and Stansted Mountfitchet should not be overflown below 2,500ft above sea level.
Aircraft must not overfly St Elizabeth's Centre, Much Hadham below 4,000ft above sea level.

Useful Official Tools

Community Noise Portal Location-specific statistics and noise-monitor dashboards WebTrak Investigate individual Stansted aircraft movements CAA Noise Guidance UK aviation noise responsibilities and complaint guidance Stansted Aircraft Noise Airport's full noise-information section
The Elsenham Herald provides this page as a local information guide. Flight tracks and operating conditions vary, and the official Stansted Airport, Department for Transport and CAA sources remain authoritative. This page does not independently determine whether an aircraft has breached a route, altitude or noise restriction.
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