Mon, 22 Sep 2025

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 Can the UK expand airports and still hit climate targets?

Plans for the expansion of Gatwick, Heathrow and Luton could mean hundreds of thousands of additional flights a year.
The UK government has approved plans for a second runway at Gatwick airport, which could lead to an additional 100,000 flights per year. This expansion is part of a series of planned airport expansions in the UK, including a third runway at Heathrow and an expansion of Luton airport. However, these expansions raise concerns about the impact on the UK's climate targets. The country aims to become net zero by 2050, but emissions from flying are increasing. Last year, emissions from flying rose by 9%, largely due to an increase in international leisure flights. The UK Climate Change Committee (UKCCC) has warned that emissions from flying "pose a risk to the UK's emissions targets." While airport expansion is not ruled out entirely, the committee advises the government to consider measures to reduce demand for flights. To address this issue, sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) are being developed. These fuels can be produced from waste oils or synthesised from captured carbon dioxide and water, resulting in lower emissions when burnt. However, production of SAF is currently limited, and prices are high. The government is attempting to build a market for SAF through a mandate requiring 2% of jet fuel supplied in the UK to be sustainable by this year, rising to 10% by 2030 and 22% by 2040. A bill before Parliament would also set up a revenue certainty mechanism for SAF producers. In the longer term, more radical solutions such as aircraft powered by hydrogen or electric/hybrid planes may become available. However, these will require significant changes in technology, infrastructure, and cost.
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