Archived press release

Airline "congestion charge" could give 9 billion

16 December 2003

The environmental protection group says Transport Secretary Alistair Darling must use the forthcoming Aviation White Paper to seriously tackle improving public transport, and to address the rapidly increasing effects that airline emissions have on climate change, along with air and noise pollution.

Introducing "congestion charging" in the sky would see airlines and airports lose their substantial tax breaks and subsidies and being made to pay tax on fuel for domestic flights in line with UK drivers.

The White Paper follows a lengthy consultation period and will see Alistair Darling attempt to set out how the aviation industry will be put on course to reduce the damage done to the environment. He will also give details of airport expansion plans designed to cope with, what critics say is, a miscalculated demand for air travel in the UK over the next 30 years.

Tony Juniper, Executive Director, Friends of the Earth, said:

"The media has built up the White Paper as "Heathrow vs Stansted" but that misses the real issue The Government must put people and the environment ahead of the aviation lobby by ruling out any new airports or runways for the next decade."

"Cheap flights are heavily subsidised and this money would be far better spent on helping the average person travel on a daily basis. If subsidies were ended and a "congestion charge" brought in on airlines the Chancellor would have 9bn to invest in public and sustainable transport, including safer streets and providing every child with a safe route to school."

Nearly half of all flights (45%) within Europe are around just 300 miles - many of these journeys could be made using an efficient high-speed rail network, as in France and Germany, freeing-up existing airport runways for long-haul flights. The UK takes on Presidency of the European Union in 2005 and should use this position to press for a Europe-wide tax on aviation fuel and an emissions charge.

The majority of trips on budget airlines (75%) are made by the better off in society and most of the growth predicted by the Government will be made up of trips made by the wealthiest 10% of the population. Travelling by plane from London to Leeds produces over nine times more CO2 per passenger than travelling by train.

• Friends of the Earth spokespeople on location at the following Airports: Stansted; Heathrow; Gatwick; Birmingham; Manchester; Leeds-Bradford

• Families affected by noise pollution

• Families in area with cheap flights but poor public transport (Manchester)

• Academic Transport Experts

• National and Regional Friends of the Earth interviewees - England; Scotland; London; North East; North West; Yorkshire; East/West Midlands; East Anglia; South West: South East

Notes

Air travel causes climate change as it produces a large amount carbon dioxide (CO2). Aviation accounted for 5% of UK CO2 emissions in 2002, and is forecast to rise to 10-12% by 2020.

Globally, aviation could represent 15% of CO2 emissions by 2050. International aviation is specifically excluded from the Kyoto Protocol, the only global mechanism to tackle climate change.

The number of passengers passing through UK airports has risen sharply over the last 30 years from 30 million in 1970 to 180 million in 2000.

The Government's regional consultations ended in June and received over 400,000 replies, believed to be the highest response to such an exercise, showing public opposition to new airport and runway proposals.

It set out the following for possible airport expansion:

• Additional runways at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, East Midlands, Birmingham or Luton

• New terminal capacity

• New road infrastructure to access airports

• New airports at Cliffe in Kent and near Rugby in the West Midlands.

Environmental impacts

The Environmental Audit Select Committee has said the proposed growth in emissions "could totally destroy the Government's recent commitment to a 60% cut in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050" . Using the Government's own figures, Friends of the Earth calculated climate change emissions from aviation will rise by over 300% between 1990 and 2030 if aviation grows as forecast.

Aviation is a major source of air and noise pollution - coming from road traffic to and from airports as well as planes. The Government has said a third runway at Heathrow would expose 35,000 people to levels of nitrogen dioxide above mandatory EU limits in 2015.

Noise levels are unacceptable, particularly for people living under the flight paths to the UK's busiest airports, many of who live nowhere near the airports themselves. Many airports operate 24-7, or from early morning, disturbing sleep and threatening public health. New flight paths and holding `stacks' - which were not revealed in the Government's public consultation - could see over 600,000 people seriously affected by aviation noise in 2030.

Economic impacts

UK tourists spend more abroad than foreign tourists in the UK: the net deficit was 15 billion in 2000. UK income from aviation-based tourism is in tourist hot-spots such as London, Bath and Edinburgh. The most deprived ward in the UK is Wythenshaw Benchill, two miles from Manchester airport.

Airlines and airports pay no tax on the fuel they use and virtually no VAT, and also benefit from duty free sales at airports. Even when Air Passenger Duty (APD) paid by passengers is taken into account, the effective subsidy to the aviation industry amounts to over 9 billion a year across the UK.

The cost of providing a safe route to school for every child in the country within a decade is estimated at 2 billion.

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust