05/05/2002 00:00
TW
0

The Spanish Airlines Association, AECA, has criticised an excess of building along the aircraft approach corridors to Palma's Son Sant Joan airport. “It is the nuclei of population which are getting closer to the airport, not the reverse, and so the airlines do not understand the increase in complaints about noise or acoustic pollution,” AECA chairman Felipe Navío said. He expressed his concern at what he called “an excess of development in the air corridors used by the planes as they land or take off at the airport.” He pointed to the example of Marratxi, which has more than doubled its population from 10'000 to 25'000 inhabitants in just five years. Urbanisations have been built in the Portol area on the approach route to Son Sant Joan and the people who live there have been complaining constantly. Miquel Coll, the Mayor of Marratxi, said that there were two air corridors. One is for Son Sant Joan, which, he said, was “the most problematical, especially in summer and on certain days of the week.” The other is for the Son Bonet airfield, where the impact is more limited as it only operates during the day, but also gives rise to many complaints.” He added that many people who bought flats or chalets in the area did not realise the problems of the constant passage of planes until much later, when it was too late. Navío said that if councils continued to authorise the construction of flats near the airports, the problem of noise pollution would increase. “The entire AECA fleet is very modern and complies with current legislation on noise limits. Quite another matter are the buildings along the routes the planes have been using for many years. That is why I wish to warn people who choose these areas to live about what they are going to be exposed to”, he said. Noise and complaints from neighbours are nothing new for the airlines which operate at Son Sant Joan airport. Residents in Can Pastilla have been waging a battle against noise pollution for years. As to Palma, Rafael Vidal, the deputy Mayor in charge of planning, said that there were no residential areas near the airport.