Night flights in Europe: Trends, impacts and policy responses
5th October, 2026
AEF recently produced a report on night flights for UECNA, the umbrella organisation for people overflown by aircraft across Europe. The report goes into detail on night flight restrictions and flight numbers at 31 different airports around Europe and the UK, as well as analysing the economic and health impacts of nighttime operations.
Why night flights?
Night flights typically refer to arrivals and departures in the 8-hour period between 23:00 and 07:00. Aircraft noise in these hours is often particularly impactful for local residents, causing significant sleep disruption and knock-on effects on wider health. Total numbers of night flights are increasing, with 350,000 more night flights across Europe in 2023 than 2005. Despite this, the reporting around night flights is patchy and inconsistent, making it difficult for residents to know what standards an airport should be meeting.
How do airports in Europe approach nighttime operations?
Rules on night flights across Europe are varied, and often subject to exemptions. Around half the airports covered implement operating restrictions (limits, bans or quotas) at night, although none of these apply for the full 8-hour night period. All airports in the study operate large numbers of night flights, with an average of 24,634 night flights per airport in 2025.
What needs to be done to mitigate their impact?
The approach to managing night noise needs to be clear and adaptive. We recommend standardised publication of both night flight rules and statistics, to ensure that airports can be held accountable. Night noise health studies should be regularly reviewed alongside policy. The research area continues to develop at speed and it is crucial that the approach to managing noise is regularly updated to protect public health.
You can read or download the report below.