Britain must introduce stronger rules governing emissions from aviation before approving expansion of London’s Heathrow Airport, the Climate Change Committee said on September 16. The committee’s newly published advice says existing government policies cannot reconcile the project with the UK’s 2050 net-zero target.
The government requested the assessment of its proposed Heathrow expansion policy. Reuters reported that the Labour government backed a third runway last year to support growth. The committee says legislation must require aviation to address all its emissions by 2050, through direct reductions or engineered carbon removals.
UK aviation emissions have more than doubled since 1990 while emissions across the economy have halved, the committee said. Heathrow accounts for around half of UK aviation emissions. Even without expansion, the report projects no fall in the sector’s emissions by 2050 under current policy.
The committee says the cost of cutting emissions should be reflected in airfares, funding sustainable aviation fuel and engineered removals while moderating demand growth. Reuters reported that these fuels still represent less than 1% of global aviation fuel use and cost several times more than conventional jet fuel.
Heathrow maintains that expansion can deliver economic growth alongside its 2050 net-zero commitment. On its website, the airport says it has allocated over £80 million in 2026 to help airlines cover the higher cost of sustainable fuel. It targets a 5.6% share this year, against the UK mandate of 3.6%.
The committee calls for a 25-year net-zero aviation strategy, a gradual shift of decarbonisation costs to airlines and contingency plans if key technologies cannot scale up, Reuters reported. The report also recommends strengthening the expansion policy’s climate test to explicitly cover the 2050 target and the full expansion planned for 2054.
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