UK. The UK’s Court of Appeal has ruled that the government’s decision to approve plans for a third runway at London Heathrow was “unlawful” as it did not take into account the Paris climate agreement, which seeks to limit global warming.
The decision throws the airport’s expansion plans into doubt, but a Heathrow spokesperson said the airport would appeal to the Supreme Court and was confident of success as the climate change issue is “eminently fixable”.
Judges stated that a third runway could go ahead in future if plans were in line with the UK’s climate commitments.
The Heathrow spokesperson commented: “The Court of Appeal dismissed all appeals against the government – including on ‘noise’ and ‘air quality’ – apart from one which is eminently fixable. We will appeal to the Supreme Court on this one issue and are confident that we will be successful. In the meantime, we are ready to work with the government to fix the issue that the court has raised.
“Heathrow has taken a lead in getting the UK aviation sector to commit to a plan to get to net zero emissions by 2050, in line with the Paris Accord. Expanding Heathrow, Britain’s biggest port and only hub, is essential to achieving the Prime Minister’s vision of Global Britain. We will get it done the right way, without jeopardising the planet’s future. Let’s get Heathrow done.”
Heathrow noted that the UK aviation industry has produced a “comprehensive and detailed” plan which sets out the road to carbon net zero by 2050, while the airport has also published a pathway to achieving that goal by the mid-2030s.
The addition of a third runway would pave the way for a major expansion of capacity-constrained Heathrow. As reported, Heathrow yesterday (26 February) said its case for expansion was enhanced by data that suggested Paris Charles de Gaulle would overtake Heathrow as the biggest airport in Europe within two years.
Heathrow also reported a retail revenue increase of +0.8% year-on-year in the year ended 31 December 2019, reaching £722 million (US$922 million). Retail revenue per passenger remained flat at £8.93 (2018: £8.94).
“Heathrow’s new runway is ready to turn ‘global Britain’ into more than just a campaign slogan,” said CEO John Holland-Kaye in announcing the 2019 results. “It’s the key to the UK’s success after Brexit and will ensure we stay ahead of our European rivals. Expansion will be built within legally-binding environmental targets, creating lower airfares for passengers, connecting every corner of Britain to global growth and all at no cost to the taxpayer.”
