Committee publication · Correspondence · 11 March 2026 · HC 1600
Letter from Rt Hon Heidi Alexander MP, Secretary of State for Transport relating to the government’s response to the committee Airport expansion and climate and nature targets, 24 February
Summary
Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander responds to the Environmental Audit Committee's follow-up letter on airport expansion and climate targets. She reiterates that detailed economic, air quality, and noise analyses will be published alongside amendments to the Airports National Policy Statement in summer 2026 for parliamentary scrutiny. The government confirms commitment to including international aviation in carbon budgets by a specified date (subject to parliamentary time) and outlines ongoing work on sustainable aviation fuel, contrail avoidance research, and carbon pricing mechanisms.
Key findings
- Government will publish updated aviation analysis on economic impacts and amended ANPS by summer 2026, subject to parliamentary scrutiny under the Planning Act 2008; detailed outcomes cannot be predetermined.
- Air quality, noise, and emissions limits will be addressed within the ANPS review; ICAO environmental standards for aircraft engines will be incorporated via updated secondary legislation on noise and CO2.
- Government is allocating £43m for green aviation projects including contrail avoidance research and exploring funding for a large-scale contrail avoidance trial, though non-CO2 impacts remain scientifically uncertain (up to eight times more uncertain than CO2).
- Government confirms international aviation will be included in UK carbon budgets by a specific date (subject to parliamentary time availability), and will set Carbon Budget 7 emissions targets by summer 2026 as required by the Climate Change Act.
- No sector-level greenhouse gas reduction targets will be set; the government will not set target carbon prices, instead relying on market mechanisms (UK ETS, CORSIA) and the UK SAF Mandate to drive decarbonisation.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Heidi Alexander MP, Toby Perkins MP, Environmental Audit Committee, Civil Aviation Authority, Virgin Atlantic, Committee on Climate Change, Jet Zero Taskforce
Notable line
“, supported by the Government, the first transatlantic flight using 100% SAF, showed a 40% reduction in particulate emissions compared with a normal Heathrow–JFK flight …”
Key Quotes
“… the outputs of that work will be published alongside any amendments to the Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS) for consultation by summer 2026 and will go through the parliamentary scrutiny process as set out under the Planning Act”
“… because the ANPS review is ongoing, I cannot comment on, or pre- determine, the outcome of the review.”
“Current scientific evidence indicates the scale of aviation's non-CO2 impacts is up to eight times more uncertain than CO2 emissions.”
“Neither the Department for Transport nor any other government body has set targets at sector level for greenhouse gas reductions.”
“It would not be appropriate to set fixed targets at sector level, which would reduce flexibility to adjust our overall approach as policy, technological progress, and wider macroeconomic conditions change over time.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗