There is a strong economic case for growth at Heathrow but people are also understandably concerned about the environmental impact of a third runway. 

The Government has made it clear that the expansion of Heathrow will only go-ahead if strict environmental limits are being met:

• no more noise overall than in 2002
• air quality within the EU legal limit
• improvements to public transport
• aviation being on target to reduce its carbon emissions to 2005 by 2050

Follow the links above to find out more about how these limits will be independently monitored and enforced.

No more noise overall than in 2002
It may be difficult to see how noise levels at Heathrow wouldn’t increase with a third runway but the answer is technology. Thanks to improvements in technology over the last thirty years, the number of people within the 57dB noise contour around Heathrow has fallen by more than 80 per cent, despite flights increasing by more than 70 per cent during the same period.

Aircraft are continuing to get quieter – the latest generation of aircraft such as the A380 is rated as generating only 25% of the noise levels of a Boeing 747-400. By the time a third runway would be fully operational, nearly the entire fleet of aircraft currently in use at Heathrow will have been replaced by newer, quieter planes.
 
The Government has appointed the independent Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to monitor and enforce the limits on noise from a third runway. The CAA must be satisfied that the noise limits will be met before any additional flights are permitted. If for any reason the limits are broken once aircraft start using the third runway, then the CAA will have legal powers to limit the number of flights in and out of the airport.

Quite simply, if planes don’t get quieter, then fewer flights will be permitted at Heathrow.

If you would like to know more about what we would do to mitigate against noise from a third runway, please take a look at our Noise and Relocation Assistance page.

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Air quality within the EU legal limit
The Government has made it clear that a third runway at Heathrow can only go ahead if the EU air quality limit is being met. This means that Nitrogen Dioxide levels in residential areas must be 40micrograms per cubic metre or less. 

The Environment Agency has been appointed to provide independent oversight of the air quality limit in relation to a third runway. Additional flights will not be permitted at Heathrow unless officials are happy that air quality will not be compromised. The agency will also have legal powers to limit flights if it believes that nitrogen dioxide levels are being exceeded once aircraft start using the third runway. The Chair of the Environment Agency has made it clear that the limits will be rigorously enforced by the organisation. 

Additional flights at Heathrow will only be permitted if air quality is safely within the EU legal limit by the time a third runway is operational.

But aren’t the EU limits already being broken around Heathrow?
At present, Heathrow, like many other areas in London and across the UK, suffers relatively poor air quality. Some of this is due to emissions from aircraft but the majority is related to road vehicles along the M25 and M4. 

There are lots of air quality monitoring stations in and around Heathrow.  The new EU limit is due to come into force in 2010 and the majority are already within the proposed limits.  Others are forecast to be within the limit by the time a third runway could be operational.

Air quality around the airport is slowly improving and there are several important developments that will help reduce pollution further over the next few years:

• in 2010, the European Union is bringing in strict laws about the amount of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2  - a key pollutant in air quality) permitted in residential areas. 
• at the same time, the emission standards for car and heavy good vehicles will become much tighter, meaning emissions from road vehicles will be cut.
  older aircraft at Heathrow are steadily being replaced by newer, cleaner aircraft. Aircraft manufacturers are committed to an 80% cut in NOx emissions from aircraft by 2020, compared to 2000 levels.
• the Government has made it clear that the slots on the third runway will be ring-fenced for use by only the most environmentally-friendly aircraft, giving airlines a further incentive to invest as quickly as possible in the cleanest planes available.
• there will be public transport improvements to the airport. By 2017, there will be more, faster trains on the Piccadilly Line, Crossrail will have been introduced and Heathrow AirTrack will provide a rail link out to the south and west.   

You can find out more about air quality around Heathrow by going to the Heathrow AirWatch website.

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Improving public transport at Heathrow
Significant improvements to public transport at Heathrow are underway or being planned. These developments will help reduce the number of car journeys to and from Heathrow and mean the airport can expand without a significant increase in congestion on local roads.

Heathrow Airtrack

• BAA is funding an application to build a new, direct rail link between Heathrow and the rail network to the south and west of England.
• This would mean that for the first time, commuters from Guildford, Reading and London Waterloo could have a direct rail link into Heathrow.
• Its construction could significantly ease congestion, taking 800,000 cars off the road and carrying 3.2m passengers per year.

Find out more about Heathrow Airtrack.

Crossrail

• Crossrail is a rail route crossing London from Maidenhead and Heathrow in the West, to Essex and Kent in the East.
• It will cut journey times between Heathrow and Canary Wharf to 45 minutes.
• Crossrail is scheduled to be operational by 2017, at least three years before a third runway would be fully operational.
• Find out more about Crossrail.
  
  

Piccadilly Line upgrade

• Transport for London is investing to transform the Piccadilly Line, including its links into Heathrow.
• By 2014, there will be an increase of 25% in capacity and journey times will be reduced by up to 19%.
• Find out more about the upgrade work at www.tfl.gov.uk
  
  

Heathrow Express

• The Heathrow Express rail link provides a fast, reliable, rail service between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport.
• The journey time is less than 15 minutes.
• The Heathrow Express service replaces around 3,000 car journeys every single day.

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Reducing carbon emissions from aviation

Many people are concerned that building a third runway will result in a big increase in carbon emissions at a time when the UK should be reducing its emissions.

Aviation’s climate change impact is relatively small but growing. It is currently responsible for about 6% of the UK’s total CO2 emissions and 1.6% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

By the time a third runway would be operational, aviation will be included in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. This means that the overall level of CO2 emissions across Europe will be capped at 2005 levels, regardless of their source. If airlines want to fly more, they will have to cut their own emissions or pay for someone else to do so. 

This system achieves an overall cap on carbon emissions, while allowing industries with no existing alternative carbon reduction technology (i.e. aviation) to pay others who can easily reduce their emissions. It also creates a real financial incentive for airlines to invest in carbon reduction technology as quickly as possible, without limiting the strong economic and social benefits that flying brings.

The Government has also made the long-term future of a third runway conditional on UK aviation reducing its emissions back down to 2005 levels by 2050. The initial capacity of the third runway will be limited to 125,000 flights per year – around half the amount the Government was originally considering. This cap will only be lifted once the Committee for Climate Change is satisfied that aviation is on track to reduce its emissions back down to 2005 levels by 2050. 

The Committee will review the aviation industry’s progress in 2020 and if committee members are not satisfied that airlines are on track to meet the 2050 target, then the number of flights at Heathrow will remain at the capped level.

The Government has also said that the slots on the third runway will be ring-fenced for use by only the most environmentally-friendly aircraft, giving airlines a real incentive to invest as quickly as possible in the most fuel efficient planes.

Emissions from flights are being addressed in several ways, including technology, alternative fuels and more efficient air traffic management. To find out more about what the aviation industry is doing to reduce carbon emissions, please visit the enviro-aero website.

You can also see what BAA is doing as an airport operator to reduce carbon emission at our Heathrow and Climate Change pages.

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