Farnborough Airport has filed a new planning application that drops its request to raise its overall flight cap but seeks an increase in weekend and bank holiday flights.

The new bid follows consultation last autumn on the airport’s long-term future and an original planning application to raise its annual flight limit from 50,000 to 70,000, and its non-weekday flights from 8,900 to 18,900.

That proposal has been put on hold while discussions with stakeholders continue. Instead, the new application would keep the overall annual limit at 50,000 flights but raise the number permitted on non-weekdays to 13,500.

In a statement, a spokesperson said the airport had “taken the difficult decision to consult on a new planning application which although will not satisfy its longer-term growth requirements, will mean the airport can support its short to medium-term growth potential without compromising its long-term future”.

As with the original plan, current restrictions on heavier aircraft would remain. Aircraft weighing more than 80 tonnes would continue to be banned, with a cap of 1,500 annual flights for those between 50 and 80 tonnes. The new application would raise the non-weekday limit on these heavier planes from 270 to 405 flights, in line with the overall rise in weekend operations.

A further change would exclude aircraft weighing 50–55 tonnes that meet stringent noise standards from the restricted weight category. A spokesperson said the change was “necessary to support the introduction of more modern and technologically advanced aircraft, which generally have improved environmental performance compared to the older and slightly lighter aircraft they are replacing”.

Operating hours would remain unchanged from 7am to 10am on weekdays, and 8am to 8pm on weekends and bank holidays. Proposals to extend them, which were included in the original application, have been dropped after feedback from last year’s consultation.

Chief executive Simon Geere said: “Supporting the long-term demand for flights from Farnborough Airport is essential if we are to maintain our role as one of the principle economic generators in the region. The airport supports over 3,000 local jobs and is the UK’s largest business aviation gateway serving London and the South East.

“Since submitting the original planning application in 2023 we have been working with stakeholders on a number of technical matters which has involved listening and responding to feedback. Naturally these processes can be extremely lengthy, and we envisage more time will be required to bring these discussions to a satisfactory conclusion.

“For this reason, we have decided to consult on a new planning application which will support the airport’s medium-term growth requirements without jeopardising its long-term future. This will give us the opportunity to continue to address the feedback we have received as part of the original planning application.”

The consultation on the new application runs until Wednesday, October 22. Two online webinars will be held for residents to hear more about the plans and take part in a Q&A. Registration details and further information are available at FarnboroughAirport2040.com.

Community members can also contact the project team via freephone on 0808 164 6061 or by email at [email protected]