CONCERN over increased aircraft noise is still the biggest issue for people living under Edinburgh Airport’s flight paths, according to a consultation report on plans to change them.

Almost 4000 people responded to this second public consultation, with more than half registering their disagreement with the proposals.

As well as increased noise pollution, there was also concern about the impact on communities and the environment.

The airport said the changes were necessary to cope with increasing passenger numbers.

However, some residents – the majority in West Lothian and Fife – have accused bosses of pushing ahead with their plans for expansion without considering other ways to increase capacity.

Gordon Dewar, its chief executive, said the airspace changes to cope with increasing numbers of passengers had to be balanced with the impact on local communities.

He said: “A change in Edinburgh’s airspace is much needed in order to follow the current modernisation of all airspace across the UK, as well as building capacity to meet current and future demand.

“But it must be balanced and managed in a way that benefits Edinburgh and Scotland as a whole and minimises the impact on local communities. That’s why the rich and informed conversations we’ve had have been so important.”

He said the key aim had been to gain a better understanding of the public’s view on the changes.

“We now have these views and will carefully consider them as we shape our final proposals to the CAA [Civil Aviation Authority] later this summer.”

Dewar also acknowledged “embarrassing” mistakes that had been made during the process, namely the loss of almost 200 responses during the initial consultation.

“We acknowledge that some mistakes have been made and they have been embarrassing for us, but we have learned from and rectified them. However, we are confident that they did not impair the overall completeness of the consultation; we have been open in identifying them and tenacious in our attempts to fix them.”

More than 3900 people responded to the second consultation, with 52 per cent disagreeing with the airport’s proposals; 28 per cent agreed and a fifth said they were neutral. There were 4048 negative comments about noise and 2412 about the consultation itself, but the report indicated that 1777 believed the new flight paths would have “minimal population impact”.

It also welcomed “the dialogue” with Edinburgh Airport Watch, which came as a surprise to the campaign group.

A spokesman said: “We cannot square this with the hostility shown towards our representatives at public drop-in meetings during the consultation by the airport’s chief executive, Gordon Dewar, and other airport staff.”

The spokesman also highlighted errors that had been made throughout the consultation process, adding that in presenting its data, the airport had done little to try to gain any credibility with communities and elected representatives.

“The outcome of this consultation will have serious and permanent consequences for hundreds of thousands of people in their homes, schools and businesses, and for significant areas of rural and coastal tranquillity across East Central Scotland, yet Edinburgh Airport has repeatedly failed to undertake any proper quality assurance of its consultation material prior to publication, and has now admitted to making multiple errors.

“We question whether the findings derived from such an unfit process can be relied upon, and again we find some of the methods the airport has used to present the data disappointingly misleading.

“A staggering 52 per cent of responders rejected the proposals, yet astonishingly, the airport maintains it will press ahead with further changes to the airspace.”