When entering the aviation space nearly 2 years ago, it was clear the sector needed to significantly course correct on its journey to net-zero. Instead, progress in the UK is taking a nosedive thanks to renewed political support for airport expansion.

The UK Chancellor – Rachel Reeves – has stated that “there is no trade off between economic growth and net zero – quite the opposite”. Yet, it is always economic arguments placed front and centre of the debate, often at the expense of local communities, nature and climate progress.

Uncertain economics

Let’s take London Heathrow’s proposed third runway, the current ‘hot topic’ since new expansion plans were published earlier this month. Whether it’s the ‘£49 billion’ cited for its construction or tenuous claims that ‘expansion would add about £17 billion to annual GDP by 2050’, these figures – alongside terminology like ‘shovel-ready’ – are designed to lead the public into believing these monumental infrastructure projects are vital for the country’s growth.

And that’s before we even get into the unsubstantiated claims about the benefits to tourism and our own day-to-day lives through increased access to flights.

The reality – and according to a recent letter to the government authored by 60 leading UK economists and academics – is that the ‘economic benefits are at best uncertain’ for airport expansion. While much of the argument is focused on the benefits to UK business, it is unlikely new passenger numbers at an expanded Heathrow would be for business purposes – with business air travel declining 50 per cent since 2013 and not rebounding to pre-Covid levels.

Expansion proposals like Heathrow’s only risk concentrating jobs and spending in a few areas, like London and the South East at the expense of investment into other regions and sectors.

Meanwhile, almost two-thirds of new airport capacity in recent years was filled with UK-resident frequent flyers who make up a tiny proportion of the population as opposed to your average holiday-maker. Most are in fact categorised as ‘ultra-frequent flyers’; they make up less than 3% of the UK population but take 30% of all journeys made by UK residents. New expansion at Heathrow would likely follow this trend of only benefitting those who fly the most.

More urgent needs

From housing to renewable energy, schools and hospitals, the UK’s national infrastructure is in dire need of upgrading and expanding. The government’s own infrastructure strategy looks to provide significant investments towards building up these essential services, which is where efforts are best focused to benefit the many, rather than touting airport expansions that only benefit the few.

In the UK, over three-quarters of all flights are accessed by only the wealthiest 15 per cent of the population, whilst ongoing medical treatment for three million Brits remains delayed due to NHS waiting lists. Positioning airport expansion as a route to solve real-world economic challenges only serves to distract from the areas that really need political energy. What is clear is that accessing flights is not – and has not been – an issue for everyday people. Instead, it is these critical services where investment is truly needed and where the public want to see progress made.

Harming our health

And airport expansion poses a more significant risk to health services than you may think. Nearly one million people are directly impacted by noise pollution from flights which is a major public health problem, causing sleep disorders, cognitive problems, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

Tens of thousands of people in the UK die prematurely due to pollution each year, and airports are one of the biggest sources of air pollution in the country. London Heathrow alone is already the second busiest airport in the world alongside being the UK’s single largest polluter, producing emissions equivalent to five coal power plants annually.

In many cities, those that live near airports tend to have lower incomes, and while they are the least likely to benefit from flying, they are most impacted by the pollution airports cause. And it isn’t just human residents affected. Expansion at some airports threatens highly sensitive wildlife sites and sees thousands of species and habitats impacted, including chicks and nests routinely destroyed to reduce potential bird strikes.

Expanding airports will only further expand these inequitable impacts, favouring the minority to continue to demand more flights at the expense of local communities, nature and our climate.

Blowing our budgets

From Luton and Heathrow in London to Bristol and Leeds Bradford, strong local opposition to airport expansion is coming from community groups, local authorities and businesses who not only recognise the inequity and health implications of these infrastructure projects but their environmental impacts too.

Expansion plans at Luton, Gatwick and Heathrow alone could produce an extra 92 million tonnes of emissions between the date of opening and 2050, wiping out the benefits of efforts to decarbonise our power system within five years of expanded operation and putting aviation on track to becoming the UK’s highest emitting sector in the coming decade.

It is clear that airport expansion under its current guise is incompatible with the UK’s legally binding climate targets, relying heavily on unrealistic assumptions around alternative aviation fuels and carbon removals to offset growth which remain voluntary and underdeveloped at scale. And those supporting it continue to ignore the real opportunities that lie ahead to pioneer the future of travel.

Innovation, not expansion

The UK has an opportunity to pioneer the future of air travel. Much like it pioneered the age of jet fuelled planes, the UK should support its homegrown innovators that can usher in the age of electric and hydrogen aircraft that would help deliver greener, cleaner and quieter flights.

Safe Landing – a group representing aviation workers who want to see the sector flourish sustainably – stated that now is the time to crack-on with the genuinely sustainable future of flight by scaling these technologies, which would support high-value British manufacturing and create jobs developing sustainable technology for export worldwide.

And progress could be being made now, with policymaker support, to transition regional and private jet airports around the country into future air mobility hubs, instead of backing contentious proposals that have been debated for decades and stand to lock in fossil-fueled flight for the foreseeable.

Airport expansion is causing significant turbulence on the journey to addressing the climate impact of aviation, and what the UK needs at this moment is bold and visionary policy-making that acknowledges the need to prioritise economic growth and net-zero by supporting truly sustainable and innovative solutions.

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