What are the residents' options now?

The European Court of Human rights rejected their central argument that nightflights are a breach of their right to a private family life.

But they did win on one point.

The court said they weren't given a proper opportunity to have their case heard in the British courts.

This is because when in the mid 1990s the courts in the UK were considering these issues, the human rights legislation had not been passed. Now it has, giving the campaigners a second chance to win the argument here.

How realistic are their chances?

They are putting a brave face on this decision, but it is a bitter setback. Because the courts have rejected their argument that the right to peace from noisy planes is a human right, they will have enormous difficulty in persuading the British courts to take a different view. But they say they will try.

Is this a victory for anyone?

Its a victory for the government and the airlines. The airlines believe having flights arriving during the night and before seven o'clock in the morning provides benefits to the economy. British Airways, which operates many nightflights from Heathrow, estimates a ban would cost it more than �2bn a year in lost flights.

The government also benefits from nightflights, because it is trying to work out how to increase the capacity of Britain's airports, and nightflights add capacity.

When is a final resolution likely?

It could now take years for the campaigners to bring a new case in the British Courts. Meanwhile the government is reviewing its policy on nightflights, but with the legal pressure now removed, there will be no ban.

Are more nightflights inevitable in the future?