Airport expansion and climate and nature targets

Environmental Audit Committee Open Inquiry
Opened: 28 Mar 2025 Parliament page
The Environmental Audit Committee is undertaking an inquiry on airport expansion and climate and nature targets. In this inquiry the Committee is seeking to: establish the climate and environmental targets which Ministers ought to ensure are met under its policy to support airport expansion; examine current projections for aviation demand, … Read more
17 Recommendations
12 Conclusions
1 Report
3 Oral sessions
3 Letters
3 Events
Activity timeline 11 events
20 May
2026
Correspondence
11 Mar
2026
Correspondence
22 Jan
2026
Correspondence
12 Jan
2026
Report published
24 Oct
2025
Report published
16 Jul
2025
Oral evidence
16 Jul
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 8, Palace of Westminster
18 Jun
2025
Oral evidence
18 Jun
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 8, Palace of Westminster
14 May
2025
Oral evidence
14 May
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 8, Palace of Westminster
Oral evidence sessions 3 sessions
16 Jul 2025
View on parliament.uk
Panel 1; Panel 2
David Silk · Department for Transport Dr Pauleen Lane CBE · Planning Inspectorate Hannah Newell · Department for Transport Ian Thynne · Hillingdon Council Mike Kane MP · Department for Transport Peta Donkin · National Infrastructure Planning Association Sonia Krylova · Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
18 Jun 2025
View on parliament.uk
Panel 1; Panel 2
Andrew Meaney · Oxera Dr Alex Chapman · New Economics Foundation Dr Stuart Jenkins · University of Oxford Duncan McCourt · Sustainable Aviation Matthew Gorman MBE · Heathrow Neil Robinson · Manchester Airports Group
14 May 2025
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Panel 1; Panel 2
Alethea Warrington · Possible Celeste Hicks · Aviation Environment Federation Dr Lisa Lavia · Noise Abatement Society Johann Beckford · Green Alliance Paul Beckford · No 3rd Runway Coalition Professor Rob Miller · Whittle Laboratory, University of Cambridge
Title HC No. Published Items Response
5th Report - Airport expansion and climate and nature targets HC 831 24 Oct 2025 29 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
10 results
Clear
3 Conclusion Deferred
5th Report - Airport expansion and…
Government failed to address concerns over regional economic impact of South East airport expansion.
We heard concerns that if airport expansion is focused around the South East of England it could concentrate wider growth in those regions. This could be detrimental to the aviation and airport sectors, and the local economy, around the rest … Read more
Government Response
The government's response deflects by discussing the review of air quality limits and other environmental assessments for Heathrow expansion, with consultations in summer 2026, without addressing the committee's concern about the regional concentration of economic growth.
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5 Conclusion Deferred
5th Report - Airport expansion and…
Government updating ANPS; Heathrow airport expansion decision linked to new ANPS publication.
The Government has confirmed that it is updating the Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS). We welcome the letter from the then Aviation Minister, Mike Kane MP, to the Committee following his appearance which confirmed that the Heathrow decision would not … Read more
Government Response
The government's response deflects from the committee's welcome of the ANPS update and Heathrow decision delay, instead detailing the review of noise impacts for Heathrow expansion, with mitigations and consultations planned for summer 2026.
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6 Conclusion Deferred
5th Report - Airport expansion and…
Airport expansion plans based on outdated ANPS, inconsistent with current government objectives.
We are concerned that airport expansion plans will have been produced prior to the publication of a new ANPS which ought to be in place to provide the airports with strategic guidance. We are also deeply concerned that, given a … Read more
Government Response
The government deflects from the concern about airport expansion plans being approved under an outdated policy framework by stating that it is reviewing and updating environmental assessments like the Appraisal of Sustainability and Habitats Regulations Assessment, which will be subject to consultation alongside any amended ANPS.
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9 Recommendation Deferred
5th Report - Airport expansion and…
Impose air quality limits around airports and mandate measures for no net pollution increase.
The Government, when updating the Airports National Policy Statement, should impose air quality limits for areas surrounding airports covering all key air quality pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. Having established those limits, government should require that any … Read more
Government Response
The government deflects the recommendation for air quality limits and pollution mitigation around airports by detailing its Non-CO2 Research and Development Programme and Contrails Impact Mitigation Task and Finish Group, focusing on non-CO2 climate impacts rather than local air quality.
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10 Recommendation Deferred
5th Report - Airport expansion and…
Incentivise airlines to use aircraft reducing non-CO2 emissions and consult on fleet age
The Government should set out in its response to this report what work and research it is supporting to reduce non-CO2 emissions that damage air quality around airports. It should also confirm whether it has identified which current aircraft have … Read more
Government Response
The government deflects the recommendation regarding non-CO2 emissions and local air quality around airports by focusing its response on carbon pricing mechanisms (UK ETS, CORSIA), decarbonisation targets, sustainable aviation fuels, and global action for achieving net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050.
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11 Conclusion Deferred
5th Report - Airport expansion and…
Airports National Policy Statement inadequate in accounting for aircraft noise pollution
The Airports National Policy Statement fails to account for noise pollution. Whilst improvements have been seen in reducing the level of noise made by individual flights, more must be done to minimise the impact on those who live under and … Read more
Government Response
The government stated its policy to mitigate aviation noise and noted that the DfT is considering noise impacts and mitigations as part of an ongoing Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS) review, with any amendments subject to consultation in summer 2026.
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12 Recommendation Deferred
5th Report - Airport expansion and…
Include specific noise pollution targets for flights within updated Airports National Policy Statement
The Government should ensure that it is actively working to minimise and mitigate all impacts of noise pollution on relevant populations caused through flying. It should also include a target, within the new ANPS, on the level of acceptable noise … Read more
Government Response
The government entirely deflects the recommendation on noise pollution mitigation and setting noise targets in the ANPS by discussing its use of carbon markets (UK ETS, CORSIA) to drive CO2 decarbonisation in the aviation sector.
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14 Recommendation Deferred
5th Report - Airport expansion and…
Publish noise and biodiversity impact assessments for airspace modernisation, and expand mitigation
The Government must publish an impact assessment of its airspace modernisation work in regard to how it will change noise impacts as well as publish a map which allows people to see where the noise of aircraft is likely to … Read more
Government Response
The government defers to an ongoing ANPS review which will consider relevant changes and be subject to consultation by summer 2026. Specific impact assessments, maps, and mitigation expansion will be part of future DCO applications, rather than being committed to by the government directly.
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16 Recommendation Deferred
5th Report - Airport expansion and…
Update Airports National Policy Statement with coherent plan, specific environmental limits, and cumulative impacts
The Government should update the Airports National Policy Statement no later than six months after the publication of this report. The updated Statement should: • set out a coherent plan from Government about the airport and aviation system that takes … Read more
Government Response
The government has begun a review of the ANPS and expects to consult on a revised ANPS by July 2026 if amendments are needed, significantly deferring the committee's recommended six-month timeline.
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20 Recommendation Deferred
5th Report - Airport expansion and…
Require consultation on airspace-wide contrail avoidance and account for non-CO2 aviation effects.
Within six months of the publication of this report the Government must consult on airspace-wide contrail avoidance measures. Furthermore, given the significant role that non-CO2 effects play in global warming, the Government must account for these in its assessment of … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the recommendation but defers action on contrail avoidance consultation and accounting for non-CO2 effects due to significant uncertainty and ongoing research. It highlights a £29m R&D programme and a task group assessing feasibility, with findings to inform future policy.
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Government Response AI assessment · 29 of 17 classified
Accepted 12
Accepted in Part 1
Acknowledged 5
Deferred 10
Not Addressed 1
Total 17 recs + 12 conclusions
Correspondence 3 letters
20 May 2026 To committee Letter from the Minister of Climate relating to The Climate Change Act 2008 (International Aviation and International Shipping) Regulations 2026, 17 April
Parliament page
11 Mar 2026 To committee Letter from Rt Hon Heidi Alexander MP, Secretary of State for Transport relating to the government’s response to the committee Airport expansion and climate and nature targets, 24 February
Parliament page
22 Jan 2026 From committee Letter to Secretary of State for Transport relating to the Government response to the committees report on Airport expansion and Climate and Nature targets, 22 January 2026
Parliament page