2040 Zero Emissions Airport Target

If the UK Government wishes to be ambitious with the decarbonisation of the country’s airports, it should mandate that airports are zero emission by 2030, using existing technologies only (no offsets). This will require investment, but that investment would happen anyway.

Specifically in response to the consultation, T&E recommends the following:
● All airports, no matter the size, should be required, via legislation, to be zero emission (scope 1 and 2) from 2030.
● As part of this, all airports should be required to produce decarbonisation roadmaps (including any planned onsite electricity generation capacity) by the end of 2024.
● Irrespective of the final target date, the Government should impose an annual requirement on individual airports to publicly report the total (scope 3) climate impacts (greenhouse gas emissions and non-CO₂ impacts) from all the departing flights.
● An immediate moratorium on all airport expansions, in line with the CCC’s recommendation, should be implemented.