Representation by Irena Adams
- Date submitted
- 15 November 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I object to the proposal by Gatwick airport to increase the number of flights by using the emergency runway. The stated aim is to increase the number of passengers from 33 million to 77 milion by the end of the 30’s and an EXTRA 100,000 flights a year. This will create intolerable additional noise beneath the flight path, especially with the intention to use lower altitude take-off protocols. The area is known for its scenic beauty and its tranquil rural setting. It has significant visitor numbers which generate income for local residents. Hever Castle is quite rightly objecting to these proposals and as a frequent visitor I am aware of the effect of intrusive aircraft noise, particularly affecting the outdoor theatre which will surely become unviable if these proposals succeed. A recent report by the New Economics Foundation says that despite booming air travel in the past few decades, only one in 12 flights in 2022 was taken for business purposes – half the proportion in 2013 – while the number of associated jobs was lower than in 2007. Wages fell faster in real terms between 2008 and 2022 than in any other UK sector. Far more passengers are flying on holiday abroad than into the UK, with the NEF report finding a £32bn “travel deficit” in net spending between outbound and inbound tourism in 2019. The NEF report suggests that since the government’s previous comprehensive assessment of the economics of air transport growth, “strong evidence, grounded in government data and academic research, suggests that the economic merit of expanding the UK’s air transport sector has diminished considerably”.It recommends that the government pause all airport expansion until it has conducted a review of the economic evidence and compatibility with policies on climate change and levelling up. Airports around the UK are seeking to expand, despite the recommendation of the Climate Change Committee that there should be no additional capacity to meet the country’s 2050 net zero targets. The economics of air travel and its resulting effect on pollution and climate change is at odds with with the economics of other forms of travel; there is no tax on jet fuel and neither is VAT charged on airline tickets. Air travel is ridiculously cheap allowing frivolous travel abroad – for example the increasingly popular visits abroad for stag dos and for football matches, not to attend the matches but simply to be at the venue where matches are being played. The cost of the adverse effects on the environment is not being paid. Yes we all want cheap travel but it is irresponsible to ignore its effect on the climate and on future generations.