As property consultants, developers, and investors, we often focus on location, infrastructure and demand. But one rising issue demands our attention: the growing impact of night flights and the ripple effects this has for real estate across Sussex, Surrey, Kent, and beyond.

A recent Brussels Times report shows that over 100,000 residents near Brussels Airport experienced “severely disturbed sleep” in 2024 - defined by World Health Organization guidelines and mapped across about 40 municipalities. That’s a stark reminder that aviation impacts extend far beyond operational hours.

The debate around Heathrow’s third runway often dominates headlines, but the reality is that airport expansion is not confined to West London. From Manchester to Bristol, Luton to Gatwick, airports across the UK are planning or pursuing major growth projects to capture rising passenger demand. These schemes are framed in terms of jobs, trade, and connectivity, but what about the communities directly beneath the flight paths?

From the spider’s web over the United States, to Europe’s clustered routes and Asia’s rising hubs, short-haul flights dominate the skies.

Noise has long been dismissed as an irritant - something that disrupts our sleep, raises our stress levels, or lowers our property values. But new research adds to a growing body of evidence that noise, particularly from transport systems, is a serious health threat.

If you’ve recently traveled through U.S. airports like Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, or Reagan National, you may have noticed something more than just a delayed departure: the increasing frequency of aircraft stacking, circling in holding patterns before landing, and frequent flight-path deviations due to congestion and weather.

his BBC article highlights how individuals with heightened auditory sensitivity process sound in ways that amplify annoyance, stress, and even brain activation patterns.

While the article doesn’t focus on aircraft noise specifically, its insights are deeply relevant to those living near airports. Extensive research shows that chronic exposure to aviation noise can lead to sleep disturbance, elevated blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and impaired quality of life.

Individuals who are particularly noise sensitive tend to perceive aircraft noise as louder and more intrusive, leading to greater health impacts - even at moderate decibel levels .

According to the European Environment Agency's Noise in Europe 2025 report, more than 112 million Europeans (over one in five) are chronically exposed to transport noise (road, rail and aircraft) at levels deemed harmful to health.

In today’s interconnected world, airports are frequently heralded as engines of economic growth - a claim that is increasingly reflected in UK government policy. Cities and towns within easy reach of airports often see property values rise, fuelled by the promise of swift business travel, better job access, and enhanced regional connectivity. Yet, the allure of proximity comes with a growing price: rising noise, congestion, and environmental strain.

The £200m Vision 2030 expansion of Leeds Bradford Airport is set to reshape the region’s travel infrastructure with ambitious plans to modernise the terminal, improve public transport links, and drive regional economic growth.

But for local residents, and prospective homebuyers, it raises significant concerns about aircraft noise and quality of life.

Recent community meetings around Hanscom Field in Concord revealed growing frustration with proposed autonomous drone research. While firms like Merlin Labs insist a handful of daily test flights won’t noticeably raise air traffic, residents appear far from convinced.

Noise complaints around Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) are spiking -with over 5,000 recorded in April alone, arising from just 75 complainants.

In response, an FAA-funded mitigation scheme is allocating $57,000 per household, targeting 400 homes beginning this year.

This trend isn’t isolated.