Select Committee · Environmental Audit Committee

Airport expansion and climate and nature targets

Status: Open Opened: 28 Mar 2025 17 recommendations 12 conclusions 1 report

The Environmental Audit Committee is undertaking an inquiry on airport expansion and climate and nature targets. In this inquiry the Committee is seeking to: establish the climate and environmental targets which Ministers ought to ensure are met under its policy to support airport expansion; examine current projections for aviation demand, for aviation emissions and for …

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
5th Report - Airport expansion and climate and nature targe… HC 831 24 Oct 2025 29 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

1 item
23 Recommendation 5th Report - Airport expansion and clim… Not Addressed

Set out detailed analysis on aviation impacts and mitigations if airport expansion proceeds.

If the Government proceeds with airport expansion it should set out to the Committee in its response to this report, in-depth analysis on: • How it will ensure carbon costs will reach the level the Government expected in the Jet Zero Strategy. It should also set out a realistic timeline …

Government response. The government reiterated its commitment to existing carbon pricing mechanisms and stated that Jet Zero Strategy figures were illustrative, not targets. It did not provide the requested in-depth analysis on how carbon costs would be ensured, specific emission savings, penalties, …

Oral evidence sessions

3 sessions
Date Witnesses
16 Jul 2025 David Silk · Department for Transport, Dr Pauleen Lane CBE · Planning Inspectorate, Hannah Newell · Department for Transport, Ian Thynne · Hillingdon Council, Mike Kane MP · Department for Transport, Peta Donkin · National Infrastructure Planning Association, Sonia Krylova · Department for Energy Security and Net Zero View ↗
18 Jun 2025 Andrew Meaney · Oxera, Dr Alex Chapman · New Economics Foundation, Dr Stuart Jenkins · University of Oxford, Duncan McCourt · Sustainable Aviation, Matthew Gorman MBE · Heathrow, Neil Robinson · Manchester Airports Group View ↗
14 May 2025 Alethea Warrington · Possible, Celeste Hicks · Aviation Environment Federation, Dr Lisa Lavia · Noise Abatement Society, Johann Beckford · Green Alliance, Paul Beckford · No 3rd Runway Coalition, Professor Rob Miller · Whittle Laboratory, University of Cambridge View ↗

Correspondence

3 letters
DateDirectionTitle
20 May 2026 To cttee Letter from the Minister of Climate relating to The Climate Change Act 2008 (I…
11 Mar 2026 To cttee Letter from Rt Hon Heidi Alexander MP, Secretary of State for Transport relati…
22 Jan 2026 From cttee Letter to Secretary of State for Transport relating to the Government response …