Transport & Environment analyzed expansion plans at 20 major airports across 10 European countries against a carbon budget aligned with 1.7C warming. It found every airport would exceed its fair share, with emissions reaching two to three times allocated budgets by 2050. Planned growth would add about 225 million tonnes of CO2 compared with existing capacity, even after accounting for sustainable aviation fuel and efficiency gains. T&E says cleaner fuels and more efficient engines cannot offset traffic growth from new runways and terminals. Lisbon, Porto, and Dublin show the largest projected overshoots. A third runway at Heathrow would add emissions equivalent to a full year of economy-wide emissions from Croatia between 2035 and 2050. The group calls on governments to reject expansions that exceed carbon budgets, set Paris-aligned limits for individual airports, and use taxes and slot policies to manage demand. It also wants public funding redirected from airport capacity to cleaner transport alternatives.
