The enlargement of Luton Airport has been permitted by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander.
She mentioned she permitted the airport’s enlargement plan, which is for a brand new terminal relatively than runway, regardless of the Planning Inspectorate recommending she reject it over environmental issues.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves had been contemplating whether or not to develop the airport as a method to spice up UK progress, following an analogous determination to provide the inexperienced gentle to a 3rd runway at Heathrow initially of the 12 months.
Luton Airport, the UK’s fifth busiest airport final 12 months, desires to extend its annual cap on passenger numbers from 18 million to 32 million by the mid-2040s, permitting its runway for use for 77,000 extra flights per 12 months in contrast with final 12 months.
In 2024, 16.9 million passengers travelled by means of the airport on 132,000 flights.
Ms Alexander permitted the airport’s growth consent order – that are used to acquire permission for nationally vital infrastructure tasks – after being persuaded about the advantages enlargement would deliver to the UK financial system.
A authorities supply mentioned: “The transport secretary has permitted the enlargement of Luton airport for its advantages to Luton and the broader UK financial system.
“The decision overturns the Planning Inspectorate’s recommendation for refusal.
“Enlargement will ship big progress advantages for Luton with hundreds of fine, new jobs and a money increase for the native council which owns the airport.
“This is the 14th development consent order approved by this Labour government, demonstrating we will stop at nothing to deliver economic growth and new infrastructure as part of our plan for change.”
Luton Rising, the native financial growth firm that owns the airport, mentioned the undertaking would assist round 12,000 new jobs within the space and supply a further financial good thing about £1.6b per 12 months.
Final month Ms Alexander additionally introduced that she would assist Gatwick Airport’s second runway plan if the undertaking was adjusted.
The transport secretary has beforehand mentioned the UK “can and must” increase aviation similtaneously defending the surroundings, denying that the 2 are essentially incompatible.
Nevertheless, the transfer dangers reigniting divisions inside cupboard over the federal government’s local weather ambitions, which features a 2050 goal to scale back emissions by 100% in contrast with 1990 ranges.
Environmental teams instantly criticised the choice as “misguided”.
Johann Beckford, senior coverage adviser at Inexperienced Alliance, mentioned the federal government’s determination was “a bad case of déjà vu”.
“Doubling passenger and flight numbers will increase emissions, air pollution and noise.
“This newest misguided undertaking does extra to undermine UK local weather credibility than it does to develop the financial system as, as soon as once more, the expansion influence of the enlargement is prone to be overstated.
“With almost 90% of Luton flights taken for leisure, this decision gives priority boarding to British tourists taking their money out of the country to spend abroad.”
And Colin Walker, head of transport on the Vitality and Local weather Intelligence Unit, mentioned the transfer would “encourage frequent flyers to fly even more frequently” and to spend their cash overseas.
“70% of the UK’s flights are taken by just 15% of its population,” he mentioned.
“Airport expansion will just encourage these frequent fliers to fly even more frequently, emitting more and more emissions.”
He added: “The UK already runs a £41bn tourism deficit; an expanded Luton will make this worse by encouraging even more people to take their disposal income out of the UK and spend it abroad.
“Approving the enlargement of Gatwick and Luton airports will see emissions enhance to such an extent that each one the CO2 financial savings that the federal government hopes to realize from its clear energy plan could be worn out by 2050
“The idea that sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) will offset these extra emissions is highly ambitious. Construction has not started on one of the five SAF plants that the government said would be under construction in 2025, while the Climate Change Committee expects the UK to fall short in its ambition for 22% of jet fuel to be replaced with SAFs by 2040.”
