MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Heathrow aggressive program to make the airport cleaner and quieter

The introduction of the higher environmental charge forms part of Heathrow’s ambitious sustainability strategy

Environmental charges at Heathrow are set to increase by 7% as the airport seeks to minimize its impact on local communities. From 1st January 2018, airlines are being incentivized to deploy their newest aircraft at Heathrow – making the airport cleaner and quieter for 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 incentivize 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.”