Heathrow to increase environmental charges to minimise its impact on local communities

Heathrow to increase environmental charges to minimise its impact on local communities

• Heathrow has restructured environmental charges to incentivise airlines to use cleaner, quieter aircraft
• Environmental charges set to increase 7% from 1st January 2018
• Change is part of Heathrow’s efforts to minimise the airport’s impacts on local communities

LONDON, 04-Jan-2018 — /EuropaWire/ — Environmental charges at Heathrow are set to increase by 7% as the airport seeks to minimise its impact on local communities. From 1st January 2018, airlines will be incentivised to deploy their newest aircraft at Heathrow – making the airport cleaner and quieter for our local communities.

The introduction of the higher environmental charge forms part of Heathrow’s ambitious sustainability strategy Heathrow 2.0 which sets targets to deliver a more sustainable future for aviation. It includes an aspiration to make growth from a new runway at Heathrow carbon neutral, and the use of 100% renewable electricity at the airport from 2017 in a major step toward creating a zero-carbon airport. It also proposes establishing an airside ultra-low emission zone by 2025, to improve quality of life of local communities through cleaner air.

With new public transport like Crossrail, HS2 and rail links to the west and south on the horizon – the way people travel to Heathrow is also set to be transformed, helping the airport to reach its goal of 50% of passengers travelling by sustainable transport by 2030. Heathrow has also recently made a significant investment in electric vehicles and charging points at the airport as well as unveiling a new scheme to encourage colleagues to purchase low-emission vehicles. All of these measures combined will help the airport tackle emissions at the airport.

Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said:

“Heathrow is determined to reduce the airport’s environmental impacts. Increasing our environmental charges to incentivise airlines to bring their cleanest, quietest aircraft to Heathrow is the best way to cut emissions and shrink the noise footprint around the airport. It is a tangible step that will make a real difference to local communities.”

Notes to Editors:

The full changes to Heathrow’s charging regime which will take place from 1st January 2018 are outlined below:

Heathrow is Europe’s largest airport and one of the world’s top international aviation hubs. As the UK’s global gateway, Heathrow welcomes more than 76 million passengers every year with a commitment to making ‘every journey better’. The airport is home to more than 80 airlines and is Britain’s largest cargo port, helping to drive British trade growth by connecting the nation to more than 190 destinations around the world. Following an investment of more than £11 billion over the last 10 years, Heathrow is currently ranked by passengers as the ‘Best Airport in Western Europe’ for the third year running and the ‘Best Airport for Shopping’ for eight years in a row.

For more information please contact the Heathrow Press Office on 0208 745 7224.

Source: Heathrow

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