Letters: Heathrow on the chopping block – CityAM : CityAM

[Re: APD tax cut, November 1]

Last week’s announcement of a 50 per cent cut to Air Passenger Duty on domestic flights is worrying.

Not because we are against flying per se, but because if more people choose to take domestic flights resulting from this cut, as the Treasury predict, then this sets a dangerous precedent that making short flights is simply fine and has no consequences.

Widespread rollout of Sustainable Aviation Fuels or electric flights is some way off – the industry has managed to source less than 1 per cent of jet fuel using sustainable fuels, despite promising in 2010 that this figure would be at least 10 per cent by 2020.

Current global targets for approximately 50 per cent alternative jet fuel use in 2050 would require three new bio-jet fuel refineries to be built every month for the next 30 years.

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Heathrow third runway dealt deadly blow after top shareholder pulls investment

Today there are just two facilities – the market is not delivering at the pace required.

Therefore, radical climate decisions need to be taken now, not relying on technologies that are either still in their infancy or don’t yet exist.

The big option left for the government is to cancel and rule out expansion at Heathrow and focus on driving rail fares down.

Although the Heathrow expansion debate has rumbled on for far too long, the environmental arguments are now more convincing and urgent than ever before.

What better way to demonstrate environmental and climate leadership to the world?

Geraldine Nicholson