Living Near the Airport

Ensuring our neighbours are not disturbed by noise and road traffic

EMA - living near the airport

Although the positive effects of our operation are felt across the region and nationally, we know it’s important to manage the operation of our airport in a sustainable way, ensuring that where possible we minimise the impact we have on our local neighbours.​

Contact us at community@eastmidlandsairport.com or report community noise disturbances here.

Managing airport noise and reporting

The airport has a single runway, running from east to west. Aircraft movements comprise commercial passenger flights, air freight and mail flights, plus training and general aviation flights. Most commercial passenger flights take place during the day. At night, flights are a mixture of passenger, freight and mail flights. The night-time freight flights contribute significantly to the airport being the UK’s busiest airport for cargo carried on dedicated cargo aircraft​.

For safety reasons, aircraft usually take off and land into the wind. As the wind at East Midlands Airport predominantly comes from the west, most aircraft arrive and take off in a westerly direction, which is Runway 27. You can find out more about Aircraft Operations and Living Near the Airport in our fact sheets.​

Runway Modal Split 2021

If you live near East Midlands Airport, seeing and hearing aircraft is part of everyday life. We’re committed to being a responsible neighbour and managing the impact of our operations on local communities.

To help you understand how the airport operates and how we reduce environmental impact, you can explore our reports, policies and guidance below.

Air Quality Monitoring

We carry out ongoing air quality monitoring around the airport to understand and manage pollution levels. This annual programme:

  • Monitors air pollution in the surrounding area

  • Compares results against UK air quality objectives

  • Tracks changes in air pollutant concentrations over time

Download our 2025 Air Quality report

Our continuous monitoring station also shares data with Air Quality England, so you can view the latest air quality data for East Midlands Airport at any time.

Policies, Reports and Guidance

Find out more about how we manage noise, emissions and environmental impact:

Read the most recent data for East Midlands Airport.