Airport Expansion

Baroness Brown of Cambridge Excerpts

Tuesday 25th February 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill (Lab)]

The Government recognise the importance of regional airports. I do not have in front of me what the Government are doing about the expansion of Cardiff Airport, but I will willingly write to my noble friend and tell him exactly what we know about Cardiff’s expansion and the Government’s role in helping it.

[Baroness Brown of Cambridge (CB)]

My Lords, when we did the Airports Commission review, the UK’s 2050 target was only an 80% emissions reduction, yet the third runway at Heathrow still required reduced growth at regional airports to keep within our carbon budgets. Has this analysis been redone and are the conclusions the same? Should we not wait for the seventh carbon budget, which is being published tomorrow?

[Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill (Lab)]

I stand by the earlier figures I mentioned on achieving aviation net zero by 2050. The noble Baroness is right that the seventh report will be published tomorrow. The proposals from Heathrow, or any other promoter’s proposals, for a third runway have not yet been received. They will have to be followed by an application for a development consent order, which will have to be properly processed. It is not incompatible with the forthcoming publication for the Chancellor to express her enthusiasm for a third runway and the economic growth that it will produce.