Blackwater Valley Friends of the Earth (We) oppose any airport expansion until technology has been developed to make air travel sustainable. Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is not sustainable, we would need to cover an area half the size of the UK to generate the crops necessary to satisfy the needs of UK aviation and it still produces CO2. At present SAF has to be mixed with aviation fuel to be useable and it’s use is not mandatory.
We have 2 airports within our area, Farnborough Airport which serves 100% private flights and Blackbushe Airport which is a smaller aerodrome that is predominantly for light aircraft and we are close to Heathrow and Gatwick airports. All of these airports are hoping to expand.
In December 2023 the Government’s own Environmental Audit Committee expressed their concern ‘that the Government’s Jet Zero Strategy carries significant risks to delivery to the rising emissions from the aviation sector.’ There are no ways to reduce aviation emissions in the short-term other than to halt any expansion and put measures in place to limit air travel in the short-term. We would support measures such as a frequent flyer tax (especially for private jet users) to raise revenue for research and development of alternative, sustainable technologies to accelerate the process of decarbonising the aviation industry.