INCREASES in air traffic could lead to a new flight path being created across the North York Moors National Park.

This is the forecast of the Council for the Protection of Rural England whose new publication and maps, Flying to Distraction, highlights how, within 30 years, more than 600,000 people and more than 2,000km, including large areas of currently tranquil countryside could be seriously affected by noise.

For the first time, the Government's options for expansion have been analysed for their implications for future flight paths and holding stacks for planes landing. The research has been completed on behalf of the CPRE by consultants TRL.

As well as a possible new flight path, the research suggests there will be a significant increase in the frequency of flights, with some flight paths seeing more than 60 planes an hour.

Paul Hamblin, CPRE's head of transport policy, said: "The problems of disturbance immediately around airports are well known, but our research shows that fewer and fewer areas will be immune from the effects of noise.

"Rather than runways and noise-filled skies, the Government should put demand management policies at the heart of its Air Transport Paper.

"CPRE is calling on the Government to end the unfair tax exemptions to the airline industry which fuel excessive growth, and ensure that the polluters pay for the environmental and social damage which we all bear.

"The Government's own modelling shows that future air travel could then be accommodated by existing airports, without the need for highly damaging expansion plans. This should be combined with investment in high-speed electric rail alternatives for domestic and short haul flights."

The CPRE's report is its response as part of the consultative exercise being held by the Government prior to a White Paper on future airport expansion.

Teesside airport is already entering a period of expansion. Passenger numbers and the number of planes using the airport are expected to increase dramatically with the arrival of the low-cost airline bmibaby later this year.

Peel Airports, which now has a majority shareholding in Teesside, has also promised to invest £20m in the airport's facilities to cope with an expected doubling in passenger numbers over the next five years.

* Leading article: page 22.