New Civil Engineer
Catherine Kennedy
New low-emission aviation technologies do not necessarily mean airport expansions should move forward, according to Aviation Environment Federation director Tim Johnson.
Earlier this month the government revealed the concept for an aircraft powered by liquid hydrogen, but Johnson said that when it comes to expansions and emissions, "the key issue is timing".
He said: "The Climate Change Committee (CCC) has advised the government that the correct time to consider further airport expansion is if and when the industry can demonstrate it's outperforming the emissions trajectory to deliver net zero aviation by 2050.
"In the meantime we shouldn't jeopardise the UK's climate targets by allowing expansion based on the potential for zero carbon flight - at present we are still a very long way from making that happen, especially for long-haul aviation."
