19 January 2005 - Euro-MP Caroline Lucas is spearheading a campaign to ban night flights across the EU.

Dr Lucas, a member of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee and a parliamentary spokesperson on the health impacts of aviation, will launch the campaign at a Brussels press conference next week.

"The intention of this campaign is to protect both human health and jobs," said Dr  Lucas, Green Party MEP for South-East England.

“It is well-established that noise represents a serious threat to human health, especially that of children – a Europe-wide ban on night flights is the only way to protect the health and human rights of those living in the shadow of major airports and ensure that no airport enjoys a competitive advantage over another, which the industry itself warns would be the result of a ban at national level.”

More than 10 million people lose sleep as a result of 550,000 flights taking off and landing during the night, according to official EU figures – in direct contravention of a European Court of Human Rights ruling that everyone enjoys the human right to a good night’s sleep.

Local campaigns to ban night flights using human rights law have enjoyed only limited success and the problem is getting worse, warned Dr Lucas.

At Manston Airport in Kent, for example, take-offs after 11pm were authorised by Thanet District Council just last week, in a decision likely to be challenged in the courts.

Dr Lucas will unveil a promotional film at the campaign launch and publish a written declaration, similar to an early day motion, calling for the European Commission to introduce night flight restrictions across the EU.

The film can be viewed at http://www.nonightflights.org , a campaign website which also allows EU citizens to contact their MEPs and ask them to sign the declaration, which needs the support of half the European Parliament’s 732 members by the end of February to force the Commission to take action.