Flight costs must rise to curb aviation emissions, climate advisers warn

Flights need to be taxed to curb the growth in aviation, climate advisers have warned as the UK Government prepares to decide on airport expansion plans.

In its latest advice for how to cut greenhouse gas emissions, the Climate Change Committee is urging the Government to commit to an 87% cut on 1990 levels by 2040 overall, with aviation emissions needing to fall by 17% compared to 2023.

The advisory committee warned the aviation industry must take responsibility for its emissions reaching zero overall by 2050, as part of UK-wide climate targets, and the cost of cutting pollution from the sector needs to be reflected in the price of flights.

That would push up costs, for example increasing the price of a return ticket to Alicante, Spain, by £150 and a round-trip to New York could be £300 more expensive by 2050.

Emissions reductions

The biggest share in emissions reductions for 2038 to 2042 comes from “managing” growth in demand for flights, followed by uptake of sustainable aviation fuel, as well as more efficient planes, hybrids and electric aircraft.

Demand for flights could be managed by measures such as increasing air passenger duty or bringing in a frequent flyer levy, a move which was backed by a citizens’ panel organised by the committee as part of its recommendations.

The committee said limiting airport expansion and capacity could play a “supplementary role” in curbing demand.

Under the recommendations set out by the committee, passenger demand for flights would increase by just 2% by 2035, 10% by 2040 and 28% by 2050 on 2025 levels.

The committee also said it expected to see technology to remove carbon from the atmosphere to offset emissions from flying start to bring down pollution.

Airport capacity

Prof Piers Forster, interim chairman of the committee, said they were being “less prescriptive on the airport capacity” than in their last advice in 2020 – when they warned there could be no net increase in airport capacity.

But he said: “We are still explicit that if the industry isn’t investing enough in the alternative technologies, and if we’re beginning to see a big increase in aviation demand, then the Government would have to introduce additional policies to restrict demand, and one of their policies could be for restricting airport capacity.”

Environmental campaigners criticised the focus on sustainable aviation fuel which they said was “dangerously optimistic” and warned airport expansion is incompatible with meeting climate targets.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has a deadline of Thursday for her decision on whether to approve Gatwick’s plan to bring its emergency runway into routine use.

This would enable the West Sussex airport to be used for 100,000 more flights per year.

Ms Alexander also has a deadline of April 3 to publish her decision on whether Luton’s proposed expansion plan can go ahead.

The plan involves increasing the Bedfordshire airport’s annual capacity from 18 million passengers to 32 million by 2043 with its existing single runway.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves gave her backing for Heathrow’s third runway project in a speech on growth last month.

The west London airport has pledged to submit detailed plans to the Government in the summer.

Mike Childs, Friends of the Earth’s head of policy, said: “Rather than championing aviation expansion, the Government should introduce a frequent flyers levy to curb the excessive flights taken by a minority of wealthy people each year, without harming the annual family holiday.

“Airport expansion remains incompatible with meeting our climate targets.

“Technological investment is crucial but relying on solutions that are not workable at scale to justify a third runway at Heathrow, or expansion at Gatwick, would be a foolish and reckless gamble.”