Question reference: S6W-06653
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
- Date lodged: 23 February 2022
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Current status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 17 March 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the recommendation of the Climate Change Committee in its sixth carbon budget advice for the aviation sector that “there should be no net expansion of UK airport capacity unless the sector is on track to sufficiently outperform its net emissions trajectory and can accommodate the additional demand”, what its assessment is of whether this test (a) is currently being met and (b) will be met in the future, and if so, by what date; and what the implications are of this for its memorandum of understanding with Heathrow Airport to support the building of a third runway.
Answer
COVID-19 has reduced the number of flights to/from Scotland and resulted in a sharp decrease in aviation emissions. As we work with the aviation sector to restore and grow the connectivity which is essential to Scotland’s economy, we are committed to doing so without restoring previous levels of emissions.
In the short term, sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) have the potential to significantly reduce the environmental impact of aviation. Longer term hydrogen/electric aircraft could play an important role, and we remain committed to working to decarbonise all scheduled flights within Scotland by 2040.
Regarding the implications for Heathrow expansion, it is for the UK Government to respond to the Climate Change Committee recommendations for airports in England. The Scottish Government has been clear that the expansion of the UK’s only global hub airport should deliver economic benefits for all the nations of the UK, which is why the memorandum of understanding remains in place.