HEATHROW’S UNDERWHELMING ENVIRONMENT PLAN WITH THE POSSIBLE HIDDEN AGENDA

Heathrow Airport recently published a report on its sustainability objectives in the coming years, likely as part of a wider effort to showcase their supposed environmental credentials in the hope of keeping their 3rdrunway project alive. Indeed, the airport’s CEO said on the day of the report’s publication that the “3rd runway very much remains part of the airport’s vision”, leaving us with little doubt that they will restart the process for expansion at the very earliest opportunity.

When we saw heard about this report, we were hoping to see fresh proposals which would benefit communities. Instead, we got a mismatch of existing underwhelming promises underwhelming promises. Many are heavily reliant on actions of others to deliver. For example, the plan aims to halve the airport’s emissions by 2030, which only considers the airport itself and not emissions generated by planes!

Heathrow have been pushing very hard for the Government to mandate that 10% of aircraft fuel must be sustainable by 2030. It is not difficult to see why – they will know that since the Airports National Policy Statement on Heathrow Expansion was voted through Parliament in 2018, our environmental laws have significantly strengthened which may put their polluting 3rd runway plans in jeopardy. 

The most significant of these being the requirement to reduce emissions by 78% on 1990 levels by 2035 and to achieve net zero emission by 2050 across the whole economy. Given Heathrow is the country’s single biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions, this clearly poses a huge threat to their dream of a 3rd runway, which adds 260,000 flights per year at the airport.

There is no commitment to reinvesting in the Free Travel Zone, the free bus scheme that was in operation inside and in areas close to the airport’s perimeter. This would surely contribute to an improvement of local air quality in the areas immediately around the airport. Heathrow withdrew funding for the scheme in 2021, but it cost just £1.2m per year, on average, based on pre-pandemic demand. Surely re-subsiding these buses would be a cheap and easy win for Heathrow?

Equally absent are any meaningful proposals to end highly disruptive night flights, blaming the Government’s long-term review and proposing mediocre improvements that any business should be doing as we all seek to be more environmentally friendly. 

Instead, Heathrow be bolder and demonstrate a commitment to being a better neighbour, by imposing a reduction or completely ending night flights between the hours of 11pm and 7am. We support a total ban on night flights between these hours, however, we cannot deny the benefits to so many people in communities right across London and the Thames Valley whose sleep – and therefore quality of life – would likely improve if a total ban were to last from 11pm to 6am. Heathrow could be proactively making this change a reality.

We want Heathrow to be a better, not bigger airport and will support efforts that are to the benefit of communities both in the immediate area around the airport and much further afield that are impacted, both during the day and throughout the night, by its operations.