{"id":32434386,"date":"2026-11-12T10:27:42","date_gmt":"2026-11-12T09:27:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/airport-night-curfews-quota-count-zurich-frankfurt-heathrow-explained\/"},"modified":"2026-11-12T10:28:01","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T09:28:01","slug":"airport-night-curfews-quota-count-zurich-frankfurt-heathrow-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/airport-night-curfews-quota-count-zurich-frankfurt-heathrow-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"Airport Night Curfews: Zurich, Frankfurt, Heathrow and the QC System"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\n\n<style>\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid 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At 23:30 the airport goes quiet, and for the next six and a half hours any aircraft that wants to land or take off needs a special permit. In the towns around it, people sleep. The half-hour gap between the last scheduled flight and the hard stop is a much-argued-over 30 minutes in Swiss airport politics.<\/p>\n\n<p>Night curfews are one of aviation&rsquo;s least understood rules. Some airports ban scheduled flights outright. Others, like London Heathrow, have no ban at all, but ration night flights with a points system that makes a noisy jet far more expensive to fly at night than a quiet one. And almost everywhere, some aircraft can still land at 3am.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6f9;border:1px solid #e2e7ee;padding:18px 22px;margin:22px 0 26px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px\"><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Zurich:<\/strong> Operating hours 06:00-23:30; last scheduled departure 22:45, arrival 22:55; 23:00-23:30 for delays only<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Frankfurt:<\/strong> No scheduled take-offs or landings 23:00-05:00; max 133 movements per night in the shoulder hours, averaged over the year<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Heathrow:<\/strong> No formal ban; night quota period 23:30-06:00 with 5,800 movements a year and a seasonal noise quota<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Quota count:<\/strong> Points per movement by certificated noise; QC0.125 = 81-83.9 EPNdB; each 3 dB step doubles the points<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Banned in UK:<\/strong> QC8 and QC16 from 23:00 to 07:00; QC4 from 23:30 to 06:00<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>UK regime:<\/strong> Limits unchanged for a bridging regime from October 2025 to October 2028<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Exempt at Zurich:<\/strong> Emergency landings, ambulance, police, disaster relief, Swiss military and approved state aircraft<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>United States:<\/strong> New curfews on Stage 3 aircraft need FAA approval under the 1990 Airport Noise and Capacity Act<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Who sets the rules?<\/h2>\n\n<p>There is no worldwide night-flight rule. Curfews are set airport by airport, by national governments, regional authorities, courts or planning permissions, which is why the hours and the exceptions differ so much. Sydney&rsquo;s Kingsford Smith shuts to most traffic from 11pm to 6am, which is exactly why the new <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/western-sydney-international-airport-24-7-curfew-free-opens-2026\/\">Western Sydney International was built to run around the clock<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<p>In Europe, three examples show the spectrum: Zurich&rsquo;s permit-only night, Frankfurt&rsquo;s court-backed ban, and Heathrow&rsquo;s budget of noise points.<\/p>\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Zurich: a curfew with a delay buffer<\/h2>\n\n<p>Zurich Airport&rsquo;s operating hours run from 06:00 to 23:30, under rules set by the Swiss federal government. Departures may be scheduled until 22:45 and landings until 22:55. The half hour from 23:00 to 23:30 is not for scheduled traffic at all; it exists so that delayed flights can still get in or out without special permission.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;Zurich Airport operates between 06:00 and 23:30. The final half hour (23:00&ndash;23:30) is reserved for clearing delays. During the night curfew, all aircraft require a special permit to take off or land at Zurich Airport.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Flughafen Z&uuml;rich AG<\/strong> &mdash; Zurich Airport, on its operating hours<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>After 23:30, the airport operator can grant exceptions only for unforeseen, extraordinary events. A short list of flights is not restricted at all: emergency landings, ambulance and police flights, disaster relief, Swiss military aircraft and state aircraft approved by the Federal Office of Civil Aviation. So yes, an air ambulance can land at Zurich at 3am.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/zurich-airport-late-evening-light-trails.jpg\" alt=\"Long-exposure light trails of aircraft climbing over trees near Zurich Airport late in the evening\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Light trails of aircraft near Zurich Airport just after 22:00 on an August evening in 2015. Scheduled flights must be off the ground or on it by 22:55, with 23:00 to 23:30 kept for delays. Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:LSZH_Zurich_International_Airport_Late_Evening_(20626622681).jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lukas von Daeniken \/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>Flughafen Z&uuml;rich says it already has the shortest operating hours in any European or global comparison, and it argues hard for keeping the 23:00 to 23:30 delay window. Cutting another 30 minutes, the airport says, could put up to a third of its long-haul connections at risk according to its forecasts. Residents&rsquo; groups see it the other way round.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/z5W8CU0DjsM\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 24px\">Flughafen Z&uuml;rich explains the operating concepts that decide which runways are used at different times of day (in German).<\/p>\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Frankfurt: banned by the courts<\/h2>\n\n<p>Frankfurt, Germany&rsquo;s largest hub, opens at 05:00 and closes at 23:00. Between those hours, no scheduled take-offs or landings are allowed. In the shoulder hours, from 22:00 to 23:00 and from 05:00 to 06:00, the airport may handle no more than 133 movements per night, averaged over the year.<\/p>\n\n<p>That ban was won in court. When Frankfurt&rsquo;s new runway opened in October 2011, the state of Hesse&rsquo;s approval still allowed 17 flights a night between 23:00 and 05:00. The regional administrative court imposed a provisional ban, and on 4 April 2012 the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig upheld it. Lufthansa Cargo had estimated the ban would cost it &euro;40 million in earnings a year, and Lufthansa chief executive Christoph Franz said it &ldquo;threatens to clip the wings of Frankfurt, of Hesse and of Germany as an export and logistics nation.&rdquo;<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;All is quiet at night at Frankfurt Airport &ndash; except in justified exceptional cases.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Fraport AG<\/strong> &mdash; Frankfurt Airport operator, on its hours of operation<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The exceptions are tightly drawn. Fraport says aircraft forced to approach Frankfurt for meteorological, technical or other safety reasons, or flying disaster relief or medical aid missions, may land during the ban.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/frankfurt-airport-dusk-lufthansa-tower.jpg\" alt=\"Lufthansa aircraft and the control tower at Frankfurt Airport under a dark blue evening sky\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Lufthansa aircraft and the tower at Frankfurt Airport in the evening. Between 23:00 and 05:00 no scheduled take-offs or landings are allowed here. Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Kiefer_Frankfurt_Flugh._(13676480565).jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kiefer \/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/n512TCYZdvI\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 24px\">Hessischer Rundfunk&rsquo;s airport series follows a night mission for an organ-donation transport at Frankfurt Airport (in German).<\/p>\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Heathrow: a budget of noise points<\/h2>\n\n<p>Heathrow is different again. Its own website states plainly that there is no formal ban on night flights, but the government has restricted them since 1962; today the restrictions are part of the noise measures set under the Civil Aviation Act 1982. The core of the system is the night quota period from 23:30 to 06:00, which applies at all three government-designated London airports: Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;There is no formal ban on night flights at Heathrow but since the 1960s, the Government has placed restrictions on them.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Heathrow Airport<\/strong> &mdash; On night flights at Heathrow<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Two limits apply at once. The first is a simple cap on movements: at Heathrow, 2,550 in the winter season and 3,250 in summer, or 5,800 a year. The second is the quota count, or QC, which Heathrow has used since 1993. Every aircraft type receives a QC rating based on its certificated noise level; each landing or take-off in the night quota period spends that many points from a seasonal noise budget of 2,415 points in winter and 2,735 in summer.<\/p>\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">How the quota count works<\/h2>\n\n<p>The scale is logarithmic, because noise is. The UK government&rsquo;s 2017 decision explains that each band is 3 decibels wide, and a 3 dB step represents a halving or doubling of noise energy. So each step up the scale doubles the points. Aircraft certificated at 81 to 83.9 EPNdB are rated QC0.125; anything quieter is QC0 and costs no quota points, though it still counts towards the movement cap.<\/p>\n\n<p>The arithmetic is the clever part. A single movement by a QC2 aircraft spends as much quota as 16 movements by QC0.125 aircraft. The curfew stops being a flat ban and becomes an economic signal: an airline that wants to fly at night is pushed towards its quietest aircraft. Heathrow says the system is designed to discourage older, noisier planes and encourage newer, quieter ones.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/heathrow-boeing-747-night-departure-27r.jpg\" alt=\"Long-exposure light trail of a British Airways Boeing 747 climbing out from Heathrow runway 27R at night\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">A British Airways Boeing 747 departs Heathrow&rsquo;s runway 27R at 22:33 in January 2013. The UK government later cited the 747-400 on departure as its example of a QC4 movement, now banned from 23:30 to 06:00. Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:BA747_(8434869381).jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Simon Boddy \/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>At the top of the scale, the noisiest types are simply banned. QC8 and QC16 aircraft may not operate in the night period from 23:00 to 07:00. From the 2022 regime, the government also banned QC4 movements during the night quota period; its own example of a QC4 movement was a Boeing 747-400 on departure. In December 2024 it decided to keep the existing movement and quota limits for a three-year bridging regime from October 2025 to October 2028, while it waits for new research on night noise and health.<\/p>\n\n<p>In practice, Heathrow says around 80 per cent of its night flights arrive between 04:30 and 06:00, an average of 16 aircraft a day, and a voluntary agreement stops flights scheduled in that window from landing before 04:30. It has no scheduled departures between 22:45 and 06:00 and no scheduled arrivals between 22:55 and 04:50.<\/p>\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Exemptions and the 3am question<\/h2>\n\n<p>Every system has a safety valve. In the UK, the government can allow extra night flights in exceptional circumstances such as emergencies, heavy snow or disruption likely to cause serious hardship to passengers. These dispensations are contentious: one parish council told the government&rsquo;s 2024 consultation that Stansted recorded 1,471 in summer 2023, against 462 at Heathrow and 1,293 at Gatwick. The government now requires the three airports to report and justify their dispensations after each season.<\/p>\n\n<p>The United States went the opposite way. The Airport Noise and Capacity Act of 1990 made noise policy a national matter, and a new local restriction on modern Stage 3 aircraft needs Federal Aviation Administration approval under Part 161. Burbank&rsquo;s Bob Hope Airport tried: it applied for a mandatory curfew from 10pm to 6:59am, and in October 2009 the FAA turned it down because the evidence supported only two of the six statutory conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #d32f2f;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;On this evidence, the FAA has disapproved your application for a full nighttime curfew.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Federal Aviation Administration<\/strong> &mdash; Letter to the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, October 2009<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>So, can anything land at 3am? At Zurich and Frankfurt, an emergency, an air ambulance, a disaster-relief flight or a state aircraft can. At Heathrow there is no ban, only a strictly rationed budget, and the airport itself keeps the small hours almost empty. Everywhere else, the answer depends on a local deal between sleep and connectivity, and those deals are being renegotiated all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/x7_7ThFOBpU\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 24px\">Heathrow Airport explains its early-morning flights as part of its airspace and future operations consultation.<\/p>\n\n<p>For anyone living under an approach path, the details matter enormously. A curfew is not just a time on a sign. It is a set of hours, a list of exceptions and, in Britain, a points account that decides whether the 04:30 arrival over your roof is a jumbo or something much quieter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sources: Flughafen Z&uuml;rich AG, Fraport AG, Heathrow Airport, UK Department for Transport (night flight restrictions decisions 2017, 2021 and 2024), Federal Aviation Administration (Part 161, Burbank decision 2009), hessenschau, The Local \/ AFP<\/em><\/p>\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\n\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\n\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\n\n<p class=\"mf-photo-credits\" data-no-translation style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;font-style:italic;margin:6px 0 18px\">Header photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Flughafen_Z%C3%BCrich_-_Night_-_01.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Carlos Delgado \/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\n\n\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What is an airport night curfew?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">An airport night curfew is a rule that bans or limits take-offs and landings during the night to protect residents from noise. Some airports, such as Frankfurt from 23:00 to 05:00, ban scheduled flights outright. Others, such as Heathrow, have no formal ban but cap the number and noise of night flights.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What time does Zurich Airport close at night?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Zurich Airport operates from 06:00 to 23:30. Departures may be scheduled until 22:45 and landings until 22:55, and the half hour from 23:00 to 23:30 is reserved for clearing delays. After 23:30, every take-off or landing needs a special permit, granted only for unforeseen, extraordinary events.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Is there a night flight ban at Frankfurt Airport?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes. Frankfurt Airport bans scheduled take-offs and landings between 23:00 and 05:00. The ban was upheld by Germany&rsquo;s Federal Administrative Court in April 2012. Between 22:00 and 23:00 and between 05:00 and 06:00, no more than 133 movements per night are allowed, averaged over the year.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How does the UK quota count system work?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Under the UK quota count system, each aircraft type gets a QC rating based on its certificated noise. Every movement between 23:30 and 06:00 at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted spends those points from a seasonal budget. Each 3 dB band doubles the points, so one QC2 movement costs as much as 16 QC0.125 movements.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Which aircraft are banned at night at Heathrow?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">At Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, aircraft rated QC8 and QC16 may not operate in the night period from 23:00 to 07:00. Since the 2022 regime, QC4 movements, such as a Boeing 747-400 on departure, are also banned during the night quota period from 23:30 to 06:00.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Can planes land at 3am?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes, in many places. Heathrow has no formal ban, only movement and noise quota limits. At Zurich, emergency landings, ambulance, police, disaster relief, Swiss military and approved state aircraft are not restricted. Frankfurt lets aircraft land during its ban for safety reasons or for disaster relief and medical aid missions.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why do so few US airports have curfews?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Airport Noise and Capacity Act of 1990 made aircraft noise policy a national matter in the United States. A new local restriction on modern Stage 3 aircraft needs FAA approval under 14 CFR Part 161. When Burbank applied for a full nighttime curfew, the FAA disapproved it in October 2009.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What is an airport night curfew?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"An airport night curfew is a rule that bans or limits take-offs and landings during the night to protect residents from noise. Some airports, such as Frankfurt from 23:00 to 05:00, ban scheduled flights outright. Others, such as Heathrow, have no formal ban but cap the number and noise of night flights.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What time does Zurich Airport close at night?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Zurich Airport operates from 06:00 to 23:30. Departures may be scheduled until 22:45 and landings until 22:55, and the half hour from 23:00 to 23:30 is reserved for clearing delays. After 23:30, every take-off or landing needs a special permit, granted only for unforeseen, extraordinary events.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Is there a night flight ban at Frankfurt Airport?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes. Frankfurt Airport bans scheduled take-offs and landings between 23:00 and 05:00. The ban was upheld by Germany\u2019s Federal Administrative Court in April 2012. Between 22:00 and 23:00 and between 05:00 and 06:00, no more than 133 movements per night are allowed, averaged over the year.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How does the UK quota count system work?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Under the UK quota count system, each aircraft type gets a QC rating based on its certificated noise. Every movement between 23:30 and 06:00 at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted spends those points from a seasonal budget. 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When Burbank applied for a full nighttime curfew, the FAA disapproved it in October 2009.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/western-sydney-international-airport-24-7-curfew-free-opens-2026\/\">Sydney\u2019s New Airport Never Closes<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/swiss-a350-900-hb-ifc-third-aircraft-zurich-2026\/\">SWISS A350: The Third Jet Lands, Seven Still to Come<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/north-atlantic-tracks-oceanic-clearance-cpdlc-ads-c-explained\/\">North Atlantic Tracks: How Airliners Actually Cross the Ocean<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n\n<!--mfcred1-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why Zurich closes at 23:30, why Frankfurt bans flights from 23:00 to 05:00, and how Heathrow rations night flights with quota count points.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":32434265,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[665],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32434386","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aviation-world"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Airport Night Curfews: Zurich, Frankfurt, Heathrow | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Airport night curfews explained: Zurich closes at 23:30, Frankfurt bans 23:00-05:00 flights, and Heathrow rations night flights with quota count points.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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