UK Climate Advisers: Airlines Must Fund Heathrow Expansion Emissions, SAF, and Carbon Removal

The UK Climate Change Committee (CCC) has told the government that a third runway at Heathrow cannot fit national climate targets without extra measures. The committee recommends that airlines, not taxpayers, cover the cost of cutting emissions and removing residual CO2. This includes funding sustainable aviation fuel, efficiency improvements, and permanent carbon removals, with costs passed to passengers through higher fares. Under the CCC's pathway, a return trip to Alicante could cost about £150 more by 2050, and a New York round trip could rise by roughly £400. These increases would phase in over 25 years. The plan relies on 36% of emissions reductions from permanent carbon removals, a technology still at early stage, and 24% from reduced demand growth as fares rise. The government must decide whether to attach these conditions to the runway approval.