Frustration in Majorca as locals demand major change to flights at Palma Airport

Residents in Majorca have demanded reduced air traffic and a ban on one type of flight from Palma (Image: Getty)

Frustrated locals and associations took to the beach of Es Carnatge - which lies at the tip of Majorca's Palma Airport - on Saturday morning (September 13) to monitor flights and the amount of noise they produced. This action comes as the residents have demanded a reduction in air traffic and a ban on flights between the hours of 11pm and 6am.

They claimed that the noise "affects people's health" and added that around 19,000 residents are thought to be affected, who, they say, have "the right to rest." According to the representatives' monitoring, a takeoff or landing occurred every two minutes at Palma, with a decibel (dB) level of up to 97, equivalent to the noise of an industrial fire alarm or a busy nightclub. According to Hearing Aid Know, continued exposure to noise at or above 80-85dB over time can cause hearing loss. Coll d'en Rebassa, Can Pastilla, Sant Jordi and Sa Casa Blanca are reported to be the places where flight noise is the greatest.

The Platform Against Airport Expansion has called for a night ban on flights at Palma Airport (Image: Getty)

Pere Joan Femenia, spokesperson for the Platform Against Airport Expansion, called for a night ban, as is in place in other parts of Europe. For example, Budapest (Hungary) and Cologne (Germany) have implemented restrictions between midnight and 5 a.m., while London City Airport in the UK has no flights permitted between 10pm and 6.30am.

"The noise level in bedrooms exceeds 70 decibels," he said. The group has demanded that the Balearic Government come up with legislation for flight time restrictions, noting that there are no studies on the health effects of aircraft noise in the Balearics.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a limit of 45dB during the day and 40dB at night, although EU legislation has an average of 55dB. The EU aims to reduce the number of people chronically disturbed by transport noise by 30% by 2030. 

A 2013 Frankfurt study reckoned that aircraft noise was responsible for 2,340 hospital admissions and 340 deaths each year (Image: Getty)

According to a study conducted in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2013, aircraft noise was responsible for 2,340 hospital admissions and 340 deaths each year.

Saturday's actions coincided with the International Day for the Ban on Night Flights at Airports, promoted by the Stay Grounded Network. Support for the night ban in Palma has been backed by the environmentalists GOB, the various Palma residents associations, and Menys Turisme Més Vida (Less Tourism, More Life).

This news comes as it was revealed that anti-tourism protests in Spain in many holiday hotspots, including Majorca, appear to have finally begun to have an effect. Alarms have been raised in the hospitality sector, with many businesses reporting lower-than-expected activity despite it being the peak season. Some bars, restaurants and other venues were even forced to close temporarily due to reduced foot traffic.