EDINBURGH AIRPORT has moved to reassure West Fifers worried about the impact flight path changes could have. 

A consultation started earlier this month seeking views on the potential impact of bringing in new routes for arriving and departing aircraft. 

Some flights could be flying under 4,000 feet over places like Aberdour, Dalgety Bay, Inverkeithing and Limekilns, and between 4,000 and 7,000 feet over the rest of West Fife. 

However, Gordon Robertson, communications director at Edinburgh Airport, said: "Following changes to flight path routes, likely to commence in 2018, there is no reason why inbound or outbound flights from Edinburgh Airport should be any lower over Fife than they are at present."

The Let's Go Further consultation asks residents to comment on 'design envelopes' – boundary zones within which each flight path may be positioned. 

Mr Robertson explained: "We need to increase the capacity of our runway and modernising the airspace above the airport – which hasn't changed since the 1970s – allows us to do that. 

"The airport was built for one million passengers a year, we're now doing that in a month for seven months of the year and we're on course for 12 million passengers this year. 

"So it's clear we need to modernise."

He continued: "Departure routes are big, broad and quite loose at the moment. 

"We're moving to RNAV (area navigation), which is a bit like sat nav and works through a flight management system that sends planes along a much tighter route. 

"For a lot of people that see planes above them, they may see less and some people will see more. 

"But they won't be any lower than they are just now."

The airport said they were keen to minimise the impact on local communities and no decisions have yet been made. 

If and when proposals are approved, it will be 2018 at the earliest before flight paths change. 

Mr Robertson said: "In the design envelopes we have put indicative areas of how high planes are going to be and, in general, it matches where they are at the moment. 

"The key thing is we're trying to make it better, not worse." 

As part of the consultation, 640,000 leaflets have been put through letterboxes.

The 14-week consultation runs until September 12 and the results will guide the development for all departure and arrival routes up to 7,000 feet over the capital and surrounding areas.

A second consultation will then be held between December 2016 and March 2017.