It's good news to see the government's Environment Audit Committee (EAC) saying both a second runway at East Midlands Airport and a new airport near Rugby are unnecessary, then coming round to what the Green Party has been saying for years when it recommends imposing emissions charges on flights ('Air growth is unnecessary', Aug 7).
We estimate UK aviation's external costs at 4 billion a year and its annual tax-breaks at 9 billion. Both these sums effectively constitute hidden subsidies. The industry claims it contributes 10 billion a year to GDP, but with hidden subsidies of 13 billion it's clearly a net drain on the economy. And that's before we take into account the 8.5 billion balance-of-payments deficit because air tourism takes far more money out of our economy than it brings in.
Last year it was the Green Party that first published proposals for an Air Traffic Congestion Charge. Under these proposals airports would pay some of their hidden costs, with the revenue going into sustainable transport infrastructure and other quality-of-life enhancements for the region that experiences the negative consequences of the local airport.
This report from the EAC is the result of years of hard work by the Green Party and organisations like the Aviation Environment Federation and Friends of the Earth.
Bob Ball
Wings need to be Clipped
Leicester Green Party, Spokesperson