Greener growth - views sought on new aviation policy
Aviation policy to seek views on shape and issues.
Britain’s aviation industry should be able to grow and prosper but not at any price, Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond, said today as the government set out to define the debate for a new sustainable UK aviation policy.
Following decisions not to support new runways at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, the government is seeking views on the shape its future aviation policy should take and the issues it needs to address. The central theme will be how aviation can support economic growth while addressing its environmental impacts such as carbon emissions as well as local noise and air quality issues.
Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond said:
Aviation is a crucial part of this country’s transport infrastructure, it should be able to grow, prosper and support wider economic growth. But we are not prepared to support this growth at any price - the environmental impacts of flying - both local and global - must be addressed.
However, it would be wrong to suggest that the government holds all the answers. That is why this document asks a wide range of interested parties for their views on the key questions we face. Clearly we won’t agree on everything, but by working closely with key stakeholders at this early stage, we can provide a policy framework for aviation which strikes a balance between different interests.
The government has today published a scoping document setting out the key principles and challenges of a new greener aviation policy. Comments are being invited on the scoping document until the end of September. A draft aviation policy framework will then be published for consultation in March 2012, with a view to formal adoption by March 2013.
Notes to editors
Details of the scoping document are available on the website.
The new policy framework will replace the previous government’s ‘The future of air transport’ white paper which was published in 2003 and updated in 2006.
The government’s objective is to develop a long-term, high-level framework for aviation which:
- sets out the government’s aims for aviation and the parameters within which they can be delivered
- takes account of the positive and negative impacts of aviation, and achieves a sustainable balance between them
- integrates aviation policy with wider government objectives, including delivering sustainable economic growth, combating climate change and protecting the local environment
- builds consensus among those who rely on and are affected by aviation
- provides industry with the clarity it needs to invest in the UK over the long term
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