Frequent Flyer Levy

As the largest contributor to UK emissions, decarbonising our transport sector must be a priority. The Committee on Climate Change warns that aviation is likely to be the largest emitting sector in the UK by 2050, even with strong progress on technology and limiting demand.

I am extremely concerned the Government’s long-awaited Jet Zero Strategy falls short of meeting the challenges we face, resting on optimistic assumptions and speculative technological breakthroughs which are either in their infancy or do not yet exist.

In addition, its decision to cut Air Passenger Duty on domestic flights is expected to result in a 3.5% increase in passenger journeys and I believe it should not have gone ahead with this. We should be encouraging people to use our train network for those journeys instead.

The Government has previously said it is not considering introducing an FFL or a cap on aviation. I am aware the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Select Committee recently recommended that the Government launch a call for evidence on introducing an FFL for long-haul flights. It also described the Government’s approach to enabling behaviour change as “seriously inadequate” and said it will result in the UK failing to meet its net zero and environment targets. The Government is due to respond to the committee in December and I will be interested to read its response.

Social justice must be at the centre of our response to the climate and environment emergency and fairness must shape our approach to the green transition. To meet our net zero ambitions, we need a just transition that supports the aviation workforce through research, innovation, sensible application of technology and change of consumer behaviour.

Although there is no single solution to aviation decarbonisation, one of the quickest ways to decarbonise the air around our airports is to implement the airspace modernisation programme. In addition, the UK is well-placed to seize the opportunities of the benefits that the increased use of sustainable aviation fuels could bring and we cannot afford to be left behind.