Transport Times: A Sustainable Future for Aviation?

Thank you for inviting me to join you all here today.

The conference is especially well-timed, given that this is such a critical period for the future of the aviation industry.

The theme of the conference is also particularly apt, considering the importance that the Government is placing on sustainability within our overall policy framework.

For example, the Climate Change Bill is the first of its kind in the world to set a clear, binding commitment for a minimum 60% cut in carbon emissions by 2050.

Added to that, we're on course to achieve double our Kyoto commitment of reducing greenhouse gases by 2012.

And as a country we’re starting to de-couple economic growth from rising emissions. Indeed, the figures show that between 1997 and 2006, our economy grew by 47%, while greenhouse gas emissions fell by 7%.

We have made a positive start. But no-one doubts that there is much more to do and we fully recognise that the transport sector has to play a full part in pursuing that sustainability agenda.

That applies to the road network. It applies to the railways. And it applies to the aviation sector.

Put simply, we have to make transport part of the solution and not part of the problem.

Some of the DfT’s thinking in this area was set out in a document we published in October called ‘Toward a Sustainable Transport System’ – or TaSTS for short.

TaSTS draws heavily on the Stern Review and the Eddington Study to set out our ideas about how we can balance our commitment to sustainable economic growth with our obligations to the environment.

It also highlights the fact that we don’t have to choose between being “green and poor or rich and dirty”.

What we do have to do though, is make the choices that will support a competitive UK economy while getting the right incentives in place to reduce our carbon emissions.

For the aviation sector, that includes emissions trading where I’m happy to say that we’ve been able to convince many of our international partners of the benefits of this approach.

In December, the EU Council of Environment Ministers agreed to proposals that would see emissions trading start in 2012. We are hopeful that negotiations will be finalised with the European Parliament by the end of the year.

Not only that, but we are continuing to push for progress outside Europe too.

It is vital that we take an international perspective here. Aviation is an international business that demands international solutions.

As such, it’s important to reconcile our duty to provide leadership on sustainability with our duty to protect UK interests – particularly if the cost to the UK comes with minimal benefits for the environment overall.

The proposed expansion at Heathrow provides a good example of what I mean.

It is clear that an airport that operates at 98% of capacity is going to be prone to disruptions and delays that impact congestion both in the air and on the ground.

That is obviously a brake on UK commerce, which depends on effective international transport networks.

At the same time, while rationing flights or restricting air travel from Heathrow might seem like a solution, it is going to have zero impact on climate change if passengers simply switch their flights to Paris, Frankfurt or Schiphol.

Where it will have a huge impact is on the hundreds of thousands of jobs that rely on Heathrow. Equally, if we were to undermine the airport as a global hub for the UK, then that will in turn damage our country’s economy.

In DfT consultation on the expansion at Heathrow, the Government made it clear that we would only support further expansion if strict local environmental criteria are met.

The fact remains though, that Heathrow is a key component in the economy of this country and we need it to operate efficiently and effectively.

The Government is committed to exploring how to make aviation more sustainable right across the journey spectrum – not just in terms of crude flight numbers.

That’s why, for example, we are looking at plans for harmonisation with other air traffic control centres across Europe to streamline routes and reduce the need for stacking.

Under the Single European Sky scheme, we can not only boost the efficiency and capacity of air traffic control, but also reduce delays that waste fuel.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we could realise fuel savings of between 6-12% from air traffic management measures alone by 2020.

Here, I’m very happy to say that the UK has joined forces with Ireland to implement the first Functional Airspace Block (FAB) in Europe, clearly demonstrating our commitment to this initiative.

Another area we’re actively looking at is air passenger duty where we recently asked a broad range of stakeholders whether changes to the current regime would be more effective in meeting our goals.

At the same time, we are examining how we can promote greener planes and do more to foster “green skies thinking” throughout the aviation industry.

Not only that, but we’re examining the whole end-to-end journey for the passenger to see where we can tackle carbon emissions – and that includes greener surface access to the airports themselves. The £16 billion Crossrail scheme springs to mind, for example.

As with other transport modes, making aviation more sustainable will come in the form of a whole range of specific measures designed to improve technology, boost operational efficiencies, and change behaviours.

We need to explore all these measures in depth if the Government is to support our ambitions for both the environment and a competitive economy.

We can talk all day about priorities or the pros and cons of individual measures, but the fact is that this country needs a globally competitive aviation industry to support our tourism, manufacturing and service industries, just as much as it needs the leadership to tackle emissions and deliver a more sustainable industry.

On the plus side, the aviation sector is prepared to tackle the challenge of sustainability.

That same commitment can also been seen from the Government and the other stakeholders involved from industry, environmental groups and so on – many of whom are represented here today.

The one thing we can all agree on is that there are no easy answers.

But I’m sure that with the ingenuity, skill and energy we have at our disposal, we can work together to find the best route toward the sustainable aviation industry we all want to see for the future.

Thank you.

Delivered: 25 June 2008

(This speech represented existing departmental policy but the words may not have been the same as those used by the Minister.)