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UK aviation industry environmental obligations

Summary

Following on from the Government's Transport White Paper ‘The Future of Air Transport’ (Cm 6046), published in December 2003, this report details the progress to deliver a sustainable air transport policy across the UK to the year 2030.

The White Paper proposed:

  • A new runway at Stansted
  • Development of Heathrow, including a further runway and additional terminal capacity has been supported
  • Options for two new runways at Gatwick and a second runway at Luton are not supported
  • Proposed additional runway at Edinburgh airport as well as substantial terminal
  • Development at Glasgow Airport development of a new central Scotland airport
  • Increased capacity at Manchester and Liverpool an additional runway at Birmingham.

This Command Paper examines the global challenges involved to reduce the impact of aviation on climate change; local environmental challenges, including noise and air pollution, bio-diversity and heritage issues; the economic benefits of air transport, including forecasts of rising air passenger demand and changes in the aviation industry; developments at UK airports, including capacity at Stansted, Heathrow, and regional airports.

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Law-Making Explained

This is a Command Paper (Cm 6977): it is a report from the Department for Transport.

Find out more about Command Papers.

How does it affect me?

If you work in the transport sector, live near an airport, or are concerned about the environmental impacts of the aviation industry, this will affect you.

The report sets out the next steps designed to balance the growth of the UK aviation industry and associated economic benefits with the need to meet environmental obligations. These include a full public consultation on the future development of Heathrow to be held in 2007, with a planning inquiry into a new runway at Stansted unlikely to start before the spring of 2008.

See the full list of current transport consultations on the Department for Transport website.

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