Today the AOA publishes new research proving that airports are managing their environmental impact. It is available to download on the AOA website.
The Sustainable Airports report studies data from the UK’s 18 largest airports, representing 95% of air passengers, and finds that:
- airports have reduced their carbon footprint by almost 3% between 2010 and 2012, despite passenger numbers increasing by more than 5% and air traffic by almost 2% during the same period;
- in the last three years, over 5,700 homes have been given planning permission or have started or completed construction in areas around airports where the Government expects some people will experience annoyance at aircraft noise.
In the report, the AOA calls on Government for policy support in two main ways:
- On carbon, Government needs to work with the aviation sector to incentivise the take-up of sustainable aviation fuels, including establishing a clear policy framework to stimulate production and investment in this new technology. Politicians from all parties should also support a global Emissions Trading Scheme; and
- On noise, Government needs to give local authorities national policy guidance, to help them build homes in areas that are compatible with airports and other infrastructure, but which do not cut across national aviation policy. Government policy asks airports to limit and reduce the number of people inside noise contours – it should not enable developers to introduce thousands of new households into those contours.
You can read the AOA’s press release here
