aviation

“By greenlighting a new runway ministers will set themselves up to fail on the twin challenge of cutting air pollution and carbon emissions. This double whammy isn’t a price worth paying to allow a minority of wealthy frequent flyers to fly even more at the expense of the majority of us.

“Heathrow’s owners seemed to have learned nothing since they were defeated in their last battle for a third runway.

They have just reheated and rehashed the tired and flawed arguments that failed so categorically last time around.

BAA’s new runway plans simply extend the shadow hanging over West London to blight more villages and more lives with noise, pollution and the threat of demolition.

It’s time they realised Londoners will make sure their zombie runway will never be built.”

ENDS

Responding to the re-emergence of calls for the expansion of Heathrow airport, John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, said: 

“It’s high time the aviation lobbyists realise their runway plans aren’t going to fly. The Prime Minister has personally promised that it won’t happen, and the Transport Secretary is firmly against it too. 

Responding to news today that the Government has reaffirmed the coalition agreement to restrict aviation expansion and rule out a third runway at Heathrow, Joss Garman, senior campaign at Greenpeace, said: 

“This looks like an embarrassing slap down for George Osborne, who has been very public in his personal backing for more runways. It’s now clear that he’s lost the argument. 

Responding to demands by figures in the aviation industry to scrap air passenger duty, Graham Thompson of Greenpeace said:

The government this morning admitted that “without further action” to curb pollution from planes, the flagship aviation climate change target that was adopted and championed by the last government will be missed. (1)

In the Transport Secretary’s formal response to the aviation recommendations of the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), the government’s independent climate advisers, there is an admission that:

The head of Greenpeace’s transport campaign, Vicky Wyatt, said:

“The prime minister made clear that rising carbon emissions were a key reason he opposed the growth of London’s airports so it’s worrying that these new transport proposals seem to put a new emphasis onto aviation growth happening by the back door at regional airports.

The government’s climate plan needs pollution from planes to be kept within limits. Clearly the aviation industry has been ramping up their lobbying efforts but Ministers should learn the lessons of the Labour years and not cave in.”