Airlines should fund CO2 removal if Heathrow expands, UK climate advisers say

The UK Climate Change Committee said Heathrow's third runway should only be approved if airlines pay for carbon removal and cleaner fuels.

• In a report on Wednesday, the Climate Change Committee said Heathrow expansion would breach UK carbon budgets and should proceed only if airlines fund sustainable fuels and engineered carbon removals.
• The CCC estimated the costs, passed to passengers over 25 years, would add about £150 to return flights to Alicante and £400 to New York by 2050.
• CCC chair Nigel Topping said the government cannot expand Heathrow without requiring aviation to clean up its emissions and that the polluter-pays principle must apply.
• Airlines UK chief Tim Alderslade rejected the plan, saying it would put holidays out of reach for millions and should not burden aviation alone with scaling up carbon removals.