A new Government-backed taskforce launched to make air travel greener will meet for the first time on Wednesday.
Its main aims are to support the production and delivery of sustainable aviation fuel and improve the efficiency of aviation systems.
It will also look at non-CO2 impacts of aviation, including vapour trails left in the sky.
Made up of Government officials along with the CEOs of major airlines including British Airways, easyJet, Jet2 and Virgin Atlantic, and airports such as London Heathrow and Manchester, as well as trade bodies, fuel producers and leading universities, it will be chaired by new Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander.
Aviation and Maritime Minister Mike Kane told the ABTA Travel Matters event in London on Tuesday that the Labour Government is ‘committed to green skies’.
He told delegates that one of his first acts since coming to power was to confirm the introduction of a SAF Mandate on 1 January 2025. The mandate means that 2% of UK jet fuel must be sustainable next year, rising to 10% by 2030.
The Minister said he will also be working with UK ports to reduce ship emissions by hooking them up to greener power. “Over half of emissions in shipping, particularly on cruise ships, are at berth,” he said. “That is low-hanging fruit that can be tackled.”
Rob Griggs, Policy and Public Affairs Director of Airline UK, which represents UK-based carriers, said there ‘will be a cost of transforming to net zero’, but said that ‘if we do it right it will be good for growth’. However, he criticised the Government’s decision to increase air passenger duty, at one time billed as a green tax, warning that airlines were having to ‘relook at routes’ as a result.
