Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee

Recommendation 9

9

Impose air quality limits around airports and mandate measures for no net pollution increase.

Recommendation
The Government, when updating the Airports National Policy Statement, should impose air quality limits for areas surrounding airports covering all key air quality pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. Having established those limits, government should require that any airport expansion is accompanied by measures to ensure no consequential net increase in air pollution including mitigating against the impact of road traffic growth surrounding airports. In response to this report, the Government must set out what measures it will put in place, including the level of pollution it deems acceptable, and how it will ensure they are met. (Recommendation, Paragraph 50)
Government Response

A response document is linked to this report, dated 12 January 2026. Response attribution to this recommendation has not been verified. Read the response document ↗