UK. The Supreme Court has overturned a block on Heathrow Airport’s third runway imposed by the UK Court of Appeal.
As reported, the Court of Appeal decision was based on Heathrow Airport’s alleged failure to take into account the Paris climate agreement in its expansion plans.
Commenting on the Supreme Court’s decision, a Heathrow spokesperson said: “This is the right result for the country, which will allow Global Britain to become a reality. Only by expanding the UK’s hub airport can we connect all of Britain to all of the growing markets of the world, helping to create hundreds of thousands of jobs in every nation and region of our country.
“Demand for aviation will recover from Covid, and the additional capacity at an expanded Heathrow will allow Britain as a sovereign nation to compete for trade and win against our rivals in France and Germany.”
Heathrow also 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 Heathrow spokesperson added, “Heathrow has already committed to net zero and this ruling recognises the robust planning process that will require us to prove expansion is compliant with the UK’s climate change obligations, including the Paris Climate Agreement, before construction can begin.
“The Government has made decarbonising aviation a central part of its green growth agenda, through wider use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel as well as new technology. As passenger numbers recover, our immediate focus will be to continue to ensure their safety and to maintain our service levels while we consult with investors, government, airline customers and regulators on our next steps.”
As reported, Heathrow passenger volumes fell by -88% year-on-year in November to 747,000 as travel restrictions and the latest lockdown in the UK took their toll.
Heathrow is also continuing to urge the government to abandon plans to abolish tax free shopping for international visitors, saying the “disastrous tourist tax” will hurt UK competitiveness.
It is one of many organisations to have called on the UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak to reverse the proposed abolition of tax free shopping and the VAT refund scheme in January.
