# Heathrow runway plan gets a climate price tag

> UK climate advisers say Heathrow can expand only if aviation pays to clean up every tonne it emits.
- Title: Heathrow runway plan gets a climate price tag · the Guardian
- Summary: UK climate advisers say Heathrow can expand only if aviation pays to clean up every tonne it emits. Heathrow expansion now hinges on whether ministers force…
- Keywords: heathrow airport, third runway, climate change committee, co2 removal, sustainable aviation fuels, uk carbon budgets, net zero, aviation emissions, frequent flyers, department for transport, news, world
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/environment/2026/sep/16/heathrow-airport-should-pay-co2-removal-expand-climate-advisers
- Published: 2026-09-16T04:00:12+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: heathrow airport, third runway, climate change committee, co2 removal, sustainable aviation fuels, uk carbon budgets, net zero, aviation emissions, frequent flyers, department for transport, news, world
## Expansion needs cleanup
The Climate Change Committee says Heathrow should expand only if airlines pay to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

> The polluter-pays principle must apply.
## Budgets would break
A third runway and new terminals would breach UK carbon budgets and put the 2050 net zero target out of reach under current policies.
## Three fixes, one bill
The CCC says aviation must get more efficient, use more sustainable fuel, and buy permanent carbon removal for the emissions left over.

> The government cannot expand Heathrow airport without requiring the aviation industry to clean up its emissions.
## Passengers may pay
Airlines would likely pass costs on. By 2050, a return flight to Alicante could rise by about £150, and New York by about £400.
## Campaigners reject the bet
Friends of the Earth says SAF and carbon removal are too unproven to justify decades of higher emissions from airport growth.

> There is no plausible way to expand Heathrow without wrecking the UK’s climate targets.
## Flying is unequal
Only half of people in England fly abroad in a given year. The top 5% of frequent flyers took a third of all flights in 2024.
## Aviation keeps growing
UK passenger demand has nearly tripled since 1990. Aviation now makes up 9% of UK emissions and emits more than power generation.
## Industry pushes back
Heathrow says growth and net zero can go together. Airlines UK says the CCC plan would make holidays unaffordable for millions.

> You can’t solve the climate crisis by pricing Britain out of the skies.
## Ministers decide next
The government does not have to follow CCC advice, but must show any Heathrow expansion fits net zero. It points to SAF funding, cleaner tech, jobs, and growth.

> Any expansion proposal [for Heathrow] would need to align with our net zero targets.
## Key takeaway

Heathrow expansion now hinges on whether ministers force airlines, and passengers, to pay for real carbon removal.