In their calculated proposal, Greens estimate that measures to reduce the negative impacts of aviation will result in an increase in air ticket prices of only 17%.
"Aviation congestion charging is an essential idea that simply has to take off," declared Darren Johnson, Leader of the Green Party Group in the London Assembly and the main proposer of the motion.
"Aviation is already the fastest-growing source of greenhouse gas emissions and the government is fuelling its growth with huge tax-breaks and hidden subsidies. So we need to look at ways of reducing demand through increased charges,” Darren continued.
The Greens are proposing a new package of aviation charges including increased landing charges and emissions charges, as well as an air traffic congestion charge calculated to tackle the growth in demand for flights.
"UK aviation gets a £9 billion tax-break every year, and passes on several billion pounds’ worth of hidden costs to society – costs like its contribution to global warming, health impacts of air pollution, and so on. This is a stupid kind of economics,” concluded Darren.
The revenue raised – which would come to about £100m a year for an airport the size of Heathrow, £55m for Gatwick or £40m for Manchester – would be ploughed into sustainable transport infrastructure, environmental improvements and other quality-of-life enhancements in order to compensate communities for the “bad neighbour” effects of their local airport.
Darren Johnson originally proposed the Air Traffic Congestion Charge concept launched by the Green Party last year. The idea was taken up shortly afterwards by Labour think-tank IPPR, the Institute for Public Policy Research only last week (2 September), by the Commission for Integrated Transport.
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NOTES FOR EDITORS:
1. Updated versions of the reports focusing on Heathrow, Manchester and Gatwick can be found at www.greenparty.org.uk/reports .
2. See Whitelegg and Fitz-Gibbon, Aviation’s Economic Downside, November 2002, http://www.greenparty.org.uk/reports/2002/AED2a.htm
3. Full conference proposals available by email from press@greenparty.org.uk or www.greenparty.org.uk/conferences
4. Green Party conference 11-14 September, St Martin’s College, Lancaster
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