Heathrow third runway: ‘Environmental impact up in the air’

Chancellor Rachel Reeves the government will support plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport. 

Professor Chris Hilson, Director of the Centre for Climate and Justice at the ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵ, says the government may encounter multiple environmental challenges on the road to expansion. 

To arrange interviews with Professor Chris Hilson, contact the ÌÒÉ«ÊÓƵ Press Office on 0118 378 5757 or pressoffice@reading.ac.uk.

Professor Chris Hilson said: “The UK has special planning rules for major projects like airports, guided by the Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS). The current airport policy from 2018 (under Theresa May) backed Heathrow's third runway after reviewing its environmental impacts. Chancellor Rachel Reeves now wants to quickly update this policy to ensure any expansion meets environmental and climate requirements.

“Two key problems stand out: The government is betting heavily on Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) to make airport expansion environmentally acceptable. But this is overly optimistic. SAFs are expensive and hard to produce at scale. Even with these fuels, flights will still produce significant emissions. This matters because international flights (Heathrow's main business) now count toward UK carbon budgets, and the country must reach net zero emissions by 2050.

“The government is also rushing to change how it assesses environmental impacts of major projects and protects wildlife habitats. But these new systems are untested and still under consultation. The public can't properly evaluate Heathrow's expansion plans when the rules that would govern its environmental impact are still up in the air.”