Birmingham International Airport today welcomes the first of a new generation of quieter, less polluting aircraft as the company publishes details of its sustainability successes for the last year.

The first of the airport's new Flybe Embraer 195 (E195) fleet, which uses 20 per cent less fuel and produces 35 per cent less noise than other aircraft, will start a service to Glasgow.

The airport's Environment and Community Report 2005-06, which lists the event as evidence of its commitment to cleaner flying, provides a snapshot of the air transport movements and efforts made to manage noise pollution and other environmental impacts.

But the Birmingham Airport anti-Noise Group (BANG) said the encouraging report was the "calm before the storm" and warned that forecast growth in air traffic would wipe out all the improvements so far made.

The report says:

* The airport handled 9,388,754 passengers in 2005, 5.8 per cent more than in 2004;

* BIA has provided sound damping services to 148 private properties and 159 council properties to the tune of £680,000 since 2003

* Under the Vortex Protection Scheme almost 70 properties this year have received new roofs with tiles permanently clipped into place to avoid future damage from aircraft wake vortices. In all, more than £450,000 has been invested in 117 properties;

* Only 25,000 people are within a radius of those experiencing serious noise disturbance zone

According to the Draft Masterplan, numbers will increase to 33 million passengers a year by 2030, when it is proposed that a second runway will be built. It also predicts that those within the serious disturbance catchment area will climb back up to 67,000.

Secretary of BANG James Botham said: "While it would be churlish to deny that BIA has made some real progress over the last decade in reducing its environmental impact, we must point out that last October's Draft Master Plan forecasts environmental deterioration across the board if the airport company goes ahead with the proposed new second runway development.

"In this sense, local residents are currently experiencing the calm before the storm, a brief interlude of improvement in noise, traffic and air quality before BIA embarks on a major infrastructure expansion which will set back the airport company's environmental performance by years."

BIA chief executive Richard Heard said the airport would continue to try to minimise adverse environmental impact.

"The forecasts are that aviation will grow and there are no alternatives," he said. "It is an important part of economic growth for the West Midlands and so it can compete as a region."

He agreed that as a result of growth, the environmental impacts would similarly increase.

"The masterplan sets out realistic estimates because we want to be transparent and clear as to the realities of the situation and we hope to improve on the details of the masterplan. It is about wanting to minimise the impacts of growth, and the more modern aircrafts are real examples of progress that will be made."

BIA will be eventually be home to about six E195 aircraft as Flybe rolls out its modernisation programme replacing older planes.