Farnborough Airport

TAG Aviation


Proud History

The United Kingdom's first airfield, Farnborough Airport's aviation history predates even the country's first powered flight conducted there in 1908.

From those earliest days, Farnborough has been a centre of military and civil aviation research. Hundreds of innovations from the Royal Aircraft Establishment Farnborough have left their mark on aviation worldwide. Farnborough "firsts" include the first flight in the U.K. of a jet powered aircraft and the world's first flight of a commercial jet airliner.

A government airfield through two World Wars and 40 years of Cold War, Farnborough saw its first civil aviation operations in 1989. The British Ministry of Defense began to transfer control of Farnborough to TAG Aviation in 1997, with the understanding that the facility would be used solely for business aviation and the Farnborough Air Show. TAG took full control under a 99 year lease in 2003.

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The Farnborough International Airshow

Since opening to the public in 1949, the Farnborough International Airshow has become one of the world's foremost aviation events. With origins in exhibitions by the Royal Air Force and Society of British Aircraft Constructors, the Airshow takes place every two years.

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Farnborough and the Future

Over the past eight years, TAG has invested to preserve Farnborough's past while securing its future as Europe's premier all-business airport. Improvements have included a resurfaced runway, installation of ILS/DME, all new signage and lighting, and many other infrastructure improvements designed to increase safety and protect the environment.

Farnborough's new look is taking shape in the form of new buildings - a modern, architecturally-significant control tower, new "wave" design triple hangar, and completely refurbished engineering facilities. The culmination of TAG's efforts occurred in May 2006 when Farnborough's stunning new Executive Terminal was officially opened.

Farnborough now offers a complete range of aviation services to based and transient business aircraft, including passenger services, aircraft handling, fueling, hangarage and maintenance.

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Farnborough – Community and Environment

TAG London Farnborough Airport is a responsible member of the Rushmoor Borough community and resides on a government-designated site of nature conservation interest. All airfield redevelopment work has been done in cooperation with community and conservation organizations, such as English Nature, to maintain quality of life and protect native vegetation and wildlife. TAG Farnborough has an environmental officer on site to ensure that the airport is operated in accordance with all applicable environmental standards.
TAG Farnborough is keen to engage the local community and has established the Farnborough Aerodrome Consultative Committee (FACC). The independent Consultative Committee is the forum in which the management of TAG Aviation interacts with local public agencies, residential communities and with airport users on a range of environmental and other airport issues. Meetings are held three times a year and are open to the public and press.
For more information visit: www.facc.org.uk

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Complaints Handling

Rushmoor Borough Council, subject to a number of conditions, granted permission for the redevelopment of Farnborough Airport, into a civil licensed dedicated business airport. The conditions were the subject of a Town and Country Planning Act Section 106/299A agreement signed by both parties. One of the stipulations of this agreement was the submission and agreement with Rushmoor of preferred noise routes, and the enforcement of such routes.
Paragraph 9 and 9a of the agreement set out the council's requirements for complaint handling at the airport.
Paragraph 9a reads: - "The company shall keep a record of all complaints it receives, including the name, address, contact details of the complainant and detail of the complaint, regarding noise, air quality, odour, track keeping and alleged vortex damage. It shall also keep a record of the Company's response in terms of its timing, details as to the cause(s)of the complaint and the action taken, if any, to remedy the situation."
TAG has therefore implemented and published Noise Abatement Procedures that include preferred noise routes for aircraft arriving and departing the airport, a complaints handling procedure, and a mechanism for addressing unauthorised failures to comply with the noise abatement procedures.
If you need to register a complaint please click here: How to lodge a complaint

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Track-keeping and Compliance

All aircraft radar tracks are assessed for compliance with the noise abatement procedures. Checks are made against the required glidepath angle and coarse sector signal zone along the extended runway centreline for all arrivals using the ILS. Helicopters are subject to different procedures. Light aircraft (those with Maximum Take off Weights of less than 5700kg) are not required to comply with noise abatement procedures.

Current noise abatement procedures require a pilot, whether on ILS or visual approach, to maintain a height of at least 1700ft AMSL until they are on the base leg of their approach, then a height of least 1300ft AMSL until they are on final approach. They are also required to "comply with a 3.5 degree glide angle". Pilots should also establish on final approach not less than 3Nm from the DME at Farnborough.

Abbreviations

  • ILS. Instrument Landing System.
  • AMSL. Above Mean Sea Level
  • Nm. Nautical miles
  • DME. Distance Measuring Equipment

TAG have provided the attached map (PDF Format) showing the authorised flight corridor along the extended centre line at either end of the runway. The red markers indicate distances of 1, 2 and 3 Nautical miles from he DME at Farnborough. To view click here: Flight Corridor extents.

The following information refers only to aircraft taking off or landing over the Farnborough end of the runway not the Church Crookham end.

Aircraft should normally be seen approaching the airport on a heading of 245 Degrees (Approximately West of South West), They should similiarly be seen to depart the airport on a heading of 065 Degrees (Approximately East of North East).

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How to lodge a complaint.

TAG have provided a dedicated phone line for complaints; the number is 01252 526001

This number is a automatic recording line. To avoid stumbling over your message when you call, it is a good idea to have the following information written down:

  • Your Name and contact details; Full postal address and preferably a telephone contact number.
  • The nature of the complaint; Aircraft not on authorised track, Vortex damage, Noise pollution, Aircraft too low, etc.
  • Date and Time of the incident of which you are complaining.
  • The approximate direction the aircraft was heading when observed. (If you are not sure of the direction, then was the aircraft arriving or departing the airport).

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Public Safety Zones.

  • What are they?

    Rushmoor Borough Council have provided the following Word Document regarding Public Safety Zones. To read click here:  What are Public Safety Zones.

  • How do they affect you

    Rushmoor Borough Council have provided the following PDF Document containing maps showing the extent of the defined Public Safety Zones at each end of the runway. To view click here:  Public Safety Zones extents.

  • Control of development within airport Public Safety Zones

    The Department of Transport have issued the following circular (PDF Format) giving guidance to local planning authorities regarding development within airport Public Safety Zones. To read click here:  Public Safety Zones guidance.

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