The Government’s decision to stand firm by plans to nearly treble the UK’s airport capacity unleashed a storm of protest in December 2006, when a progress report upon the controversial 2003 aviation White Paper was published. The White Paper unveiled proposals for new runways at Heathrow and Stansted, and for extra capacity at a raft of regional airports including Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bristol, Liverpool, Newcastle and Leeds.
Policymakers were immediately accused of hypocrisy for supporting unconstrained aviation growth, which threatens to wreck targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. One long-haul return flight can produce more carbon dioxide per passenger than the average UK motorist emits in a whole year. On current growth trajectories, by 2040 the aviation industry alone could emit more emissions than the public, business and household sectors combined.
HACAN ClearSkies, which campaigns on behalf of people living under Heathrow flight paths, promised the “mother of all battles” if the Government gives the green light for a third runway. “There is no doubt in my mind that the Government will face direct action on a scale not seen since the protests against roads at Newbury and Twyford Down in the 1990s,” says spokesperson John Stewart. Campaigners wish to see investment in alternatives to aviation, and point out that many runways are clogged up with short-haul flights. Heathrow, for instance, operates 36 flights a day to and from Manchester, 28 to Glasgow and 60 to Paris.
Economic factors are often invoked to justify aviation growth, but a series of independent reports have questioned these benefits. The UK operates a £15 billion tourism deficit – the difference between what Brits spend abroad and what visitors spend here. In addition the UK aviation industry is not currently subject to fuel duty or VAT on tickets, subsidies that add up to £9 billion a year. Campaign groups also challenge the social benefits claimed for aviation. Even on budget airlines 75 percent of flights are taken by the top three social classes – the poorest ten percent of the population hardly fly at all.
Airport expansion poses big problems in terms of land-take, road traffic, pollution and noise. While campaigns against the expansion of Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted are relatively mature, it is a different story for regional airports. Most of these started life as small civil or military airstrips, but are seeing exponential growth with the rise of budget airlines. Many local campaigns are springing up to oppose regional airport expansion at sites like Bristol, Aberdeen, Luton, and Coventry. The Manuka Club is helping support such work. As the stakes in the national aviation debate get higher, battle lines are being drawn across the country.
