Is the new Birmingham Airport Air Quality leaflet to stop residents from complaining?

• Mar. 20 by Rachael Giaramita (0)

Birmingham residents feel that Birmingham Airport’s new Air Quality Leaflets about oily deposits, fuel dumping, contrails and odours is merely a tool to stop complaints.

The leaflet aims to help local residents understand the issues better and is available for downloading from the Birmingham Airports website.

However residents feel that their complaints are not receiving the level of importance they deserve.

Thomas Jones, of Bickenhill Solihull, spoke of how local residents feel about the new leaflet initiative:

“It seems that all the residence want around here is to actually speak with someone regarding this matter, and the Airport thinks a leaflet, which we haven’t actually been made aware of will help clarify a matter, in reality all it would take is 10 minutes out of some ones day to attend a residents meeting and fill us in personally.”

Other members of Bickenhill are dubious over the level of truth in the Airports reports. Laura Hall, also of Bickenhill suggested:

“If we live near an Airport and make a complaint regarding air quality, I find it hard to believe that on every occasion the Birmingham Airport were cleared of it being anything to do with them, it would be nice to know exactly where the Airport are send these samples too.”

Results can be accessed by visiting the Airports website.

The issue

Since 1997, Birmingham Airport has received 37 community complaints of oily deposits on patios, ponds and windows, which were thought to be related to aviation.

For every case reported Birmingham Airport has taken samples and sent them to Birmingham city laboratories, for analysis.

After analysis results show that none of the substances found had come from aviation, and now the Airport hopes that through the new leaflet information can be clarified to residents on this matter.