Third Heathrow runway should only go ahead if airlines pay for cleaner flying, say advisers

Heathrow's 3rd runway cannot beryllium approved without changes to existent clime policies, the government's advisers person said. The Climate Change Committee said expansion could still proceed but only if the aviation industry funds cleaner fuels and pays for machines that remove carbon dioxide from the air. Making the industry pay could increase the cost of flying, with a return trip to Alicante costing about £150 more by 2050 and a return to New York up to £400 more in today's prices. Once built, the expanded airport would emit more carbon dioxide than any other single sector of the economy by 2050. Heathrow said expansion and climate goals were "not a choice" and it would deliver both. "Our proposal contiguous is wide - Heathrow enlargement is not presently compatible with the UK's Net Zero target," said Nigel Topping, the CCC chair. "Government needs to guarantee that the aviation manufacture takes work for the emissions it creates and bears the costs of decarbonisation. Those conditions bash not beryllium today." The CCC study cannot block a new runway but it wants the government to enshrine responsibility for aviation’s long‑term clean‑up in policy and place the burden on the industry. The government would "carefully consider" the proposal alongside other responses to its consultation, according to the Department for Transport (DfT). The government has an ongoing consultation that aims to judge any expansion against four tests – economy, climate, air quality and noise. It does not approve a runway – that will happen in a Commons vote expected earlier this year. The £33 bn project would raise Heathrow’s capacity to 150 million passengers a year – up from 85 million. A DfT spokesperson said any expansion would need to align with the country’s climate targets, but added it could deliver roughly £40 bn to the economy and support up to 60,000 regional jobs.