
Commenting ahead of the Chancellor’s speech on growth tomorrow, where she is expected to signal government backing for airport expansion in the South East, including a third runway at Heathrow, Greenpeace UK’s chief scientist Dr Doug Parr said:
“The third runway at Heathrow is bad economics. There’s little evidence that airport expansion in the southeast will boost the economy – the only things that will grow for sure are noise, air pollution and climate emissions. The last thing our economy needs is more billions in damage from storms and floods.
“Fewer and fewer business people choose air travel – the vast majority of flights are taken by a wealthy elite of frequent leisure flyers. Most of the benefits of airport expansion will go to jet-setters, airlines and airport bosses, leaving taxpayers and holidaymakers to pay billions for new infrastructure and transport links.
“Chasing growth for growth’s sake is not an economic strategy. Instead of picking up any old polluting project from the discard pile, the Chancellor should focus on green industries that can attract investment and bring economic and social benefits for years to come, like secure jobs, affordable energy bills and cheaper, better transport.”
ENDS
Doug Parr is available for interviews today and tomorrow. To arrange one, please contact press.uk@greenpeace.org or 020 7865 8255
Key facts
On the economy:
- The increase in air travel over the last few years has failed to boost UK productivity or GDP growth, economic analysis shows
- Business travel is in long-term decline – it peaked in 2006 and was down by 3.9 million (29%) between 2019 and 2023
- UK people travelling abroad spend more money there than foreign visitors to the UK spend here, meaning a £40bn loss to the economy – airport expansion will increase that deficit
- Increasing air capacity has been generating fewer and fewer jobs over time and real-term wages in air transport have been falling faster than any other sector of the economy
- Heathrow is less than 3% owned by British companies so any increased profits for the airport would go abroad
Env/social costs:
- Airport expansion in the South East would wipe out the annual emissions saved by the Clean Power Plan within five years
- In the UK, 70% of flights are made by a generally wealthy 15% of the population, with more than half of Britons not flying abroad at all
- Last time a 3rd runway was proposed, Heathrow was offering only to pay just £1 billon of the estimated £15 billion cost for road and rail links, leaving the taxpayer to pick up the rest
- Wider regions of the UK could lose £43bn out of their economies as 27,000 jobs move to London and the south-east as a result of the Heathrow third runway expansion