Airspace office

At Gatwick, we have a dedicated team called the Airspace Office whose focus is to continually monitor aircraft operations to ensure compliance with the noise abatement requirements applicable to the airport. The team also oversees the implementation of the airport’s Noise Action plan and undertakes proactive engagement with airlines to drive continuous improvement.

To help with this, the Airspace Office manages a number of systems and programs including:

The noise and track keeping system, or ANOMS

This takes information direct from numerous flight tracking sources including air traffic control radar and from a fleet of environmental noise monitors. The system provides the Airspace Office with an internal analytical capability which allows the team to conduct its core functions.

The system also provides a public facing flight tracking capability, available through WebTrak and provides information on aircraft arriving at or departing from Gatwick Airport, including the flight number, aircraft type, its height and track. We also show aircraft which do not operate from Gatwick. You can also see the departure routes or Noise Preferential Routes (NPR)s, rainfall (to show why aircraft may be avoiding certain large storms), as well as the data direct from our fleet of field noise monitors.

The system also provides a portal for the submission of aircraft noise complaints.  

Please note, to ensure the data we present is accurate – the system integrates several sources of data which means there is a delay to the flights you can see. The ANOMS and the WebTrak system is currently being independently verified by the CAA, and when this is complete we will publish this report.   

Community noise monitoring

The Airspace Office runs an environmental noise monitoring programme to get a better understanding of the levels of aircraft noise in the communities surrounding Gatwick Airport. The program uses a series of noise monitors deployed in the local area to monitor and record noise from both aircraft and background sources. This allows us to evaluate trends and make comparisons between noise levels at different locations.

You can see where our current monitors are deployed using our interactive tool.  

You can read our latest noise monitoring reports along with all of our historic reports in our reports section. 

Noise monitors are located in consultation with the Gatwick Noise Monitoring Group (GNMG) and the Noise and Track Monitoring Advisory Group (NATMAG). Both groups help us to ensure there's a fair and representative geographical spread of noise monitors around the airport, so that as many communities as possible are covered by the scheme.

We do not place mobile noise monitors in locations specifically in response to requests from individuals, however any requests are taken in to consideration as they may assist the GNMG and NATMAG to identify further suitable locations. If you would like to propose a site for a noise monitor, then this should be raised via your local Gatwick Consultative Committee (GATCOM) member. If you do not know your GATCOM member your Parish Council will pass on your request.