Airport operator BAA has started penalising airlines that disregard the noise routes for departing aircraft from Stansted Airport.
The airport identified eight incidents during January, February and March and has fined the operators a total of £4,000.
Stansted is the first airport in the UK to penalise airlines flouting the noise preferential routes, and those found breaking the rules are fined £500.
Noise and track keeping working group chairman John Williams said: "We have introduced workable criteria to identify flagrant disregard of the noise preferential routes, which are there to keep departing aircraft away from the most populated areas around Stansted.
"The penalty is used as a last resort and I'm pleased to say that nearly all operators at Stansted work with us to keep the aircraft on track.
"As a result 98 per cent of departures follow the noise preferential routes correctly and of the remaining two per cent most have a good reason for not doing so.
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