AEF
Aviation Environment Federation
ACF
Airport Communities Forum – liaison body for local airport campaign groups, including SSE
ANPS
Airport National Policy Statement
APF
Aviation Policy Framework – White Paper published in 2013 which updated Government aviation policy, superseding the 2003 ATWP (see below)
APU
Auxillary Power Unit – generator on aircraft to power lighting, air conditioning etc whilst aircraft is on the ground. Noisy at night
ATM
Air Transport Movement – number of aircraft take-offs or landings
ATWP
Air Transport White Paper (“The Future of Air Transport”, DfT, 2003)
AW
Airport Watch
BAA
Formerly British Airports Authority, which owned Stansted Airport until 2013 before selling to MAG
CAA
Civil Aviation Authority – the UK’s independent aviation regulator
CATM
Cargo Air Transport Movement
CCC
Committee on Climate Change – independent body established by the Climate Change Act 2008 to provide advice to Government on meeting the UK’s climate change commitments
CDA
Continuous Descent Approach – procedure for landing an aircraft based on steady descent with minimum thrust and, thereby, reduced noise impacts
CMA
Competition and Markets Authority, formerly the Competition Commission
CO2
Carbon Dioxide – the most significant of all the greenhouse gases in contributing to global climate change
dB
Decibel units used to indicate sound pressure levels.
Defra
Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
DFT
Department for Transport – the Government department responsible for aviation
EIA
Environmental Impact Assessment
FEGP
Fixed Electrical Ground Power – a significantly less noisy alternative to an APU for providing power to aircraft on the ground
FoI
Freedom of Information (specifically in respect of the FoI Act, 2000)
G1
‘Generation 1’ – Stansted 2006 application for 35mppa – approved in 2008
G2
‘Generation 2’ – Stansted 2008 application for second runway – abandoned in 2010
HIA
Health Impact Assessment
ICAO
International Civil Aviation Organisation – founded in 1944 by the Chicago Convention, an international agreement that also outlawed tax on aviation fuel for international flights
IPPC
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – established by the United Nations to assess the risk of human-induced climate change
IPPR
Institute for Public Policy Research
LAMP
London Airspace Management Programme
LAeq
A-weighted equivalent sound pressure level – a notional continuous level that, over the defined time period, contains the same sound energy as the actual fluctuating sound over the same time period
LAmax
Maximum A-weighted sound pressure level of an aircraft noise event
LCA
Land Compensation Act, 1973
Lday
The LAeq for 0700 – 1900
Lden
The LAeq for 0000 – 2400 with the evening values weighted by the addition of 5dB(A) and night values weighted by the addition of 10dB(A)
Levening
The LAeq for 1900 – 2300
LEP
Local Enterprise Partnership
Leq
Equivalent sound level of aircraft noise in decibels
Leq16
The Leq over the period 0700 to 2300
Lnight
The LAeq over the period 2300 – 0700
LOAEL
Lowest Observed Adverse Effect Level
LPA
Local Planning Authority. Uttlesford District Council is the LPA for Stansted Airport
LSCC
LSCC London-Stansted-Cambridge-Consortium – a lobbying group for economic development in the M11 corridor. Stansted Airport is one of main commercial sponsors
LTO
Landing and take-off (cycle)
MAG
Manchester Airports Group owners of Stansted, Manchester and East Midlands airports
mppa
Millions of passenger-movements per annum – a return trip counts as two passenger movements
NATS
National Air Traffic Services Ltd – provides air traffic control services for UK airspace
NFC
No Frills Carrier, also described as ‘budget airline’ or ‘low-cost airline’
NFR
Night Flying Restrictions – Legislation which regulates the number and noisiness of night flights at Stansted. Reviewed by the DfT every five years. Heathrow and Gatwick are the only other two UK airports subject to the NFR
NGO
Non-Governmental Organisation. Examples in the environmental sector include Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and the National Trust
NNP
Night Noise Period – the 8 hours 2300-0700 during which time there is a limit set by the NFR on the noisiness of permitted flights
NO2 and NOx
Nitrogen dioxide and other nitrogen oxides – significant pollutants emitted by aircraft jet engines, harmful to flora and fauna (including human health)
NPPF
National Planning Policy Framework
NQP
Night Quota Period – the 6.5 hours 2330-0600 during which time there is a limit set by the NFR on the number of permitted flights
NSIP Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project, as defined by the Planning Act 2008
NWEEHPA
North West Essex and East Hertfordshire Preservation Association – the original campaign group from which SSE and then SAW were born
ONS
Office of National Statistics
PATM
Passenger Air Transport Movement
PBN
Performance Based Navigation
PM10 and PM2.5
Fine particulate matter which are harmful to human health, especially respiratory systems. Emitted by combustion engines including aircraft jet engines
RAT, RET
Rapid Access Taxiway, Rapid Exit Taxiway
RF
Radiative Forcing
SAW
Stansted Airport Watch – Established on May 26th 2021, SAW is now the parent organisation having superceded NWEEHPA. SSE is a working group of SAW.
SIGS
Sound Insulation Grant Scheme – Provides grants for the installation of double glazing for those living in close proximity to Stansted Airport
SOAEL
Significant Observed Adverse Effect Level
SSE
Stop Stansted Expansion is a working group of Stansted Airport Watch – see here for further details
SSSI
Site of Special Scientific Interest, e.g. Hatfield Forest and Eastend Wood, Elsenham
STACC
Stansted Airport Consultative Committee
STAL
Stansted Airport Ltd – a wholly owned subsidiary of MAG
UDC
Uttlesford District Council
WAML
West Anglia Main Line – includes the track from Cambridge to London, as used by the Stansted Express
WHO
World Health Organisation