Heathrow to appeal court decision over ‘unlawful’ expansion
London Heathrow is to appeal to the Supreme Court after its expansion was ruled unlawful.
In a decision that led to big celebrations among climate change protestors who had gathered outside, The Court of Appeal said the controversial plans for a third runway did not take climate commitments into account
Friends of the Earth, one of the environmental groups behind the legal case, said the decision was ‘an absolutely groundbreaking result for climate justice’.
But a Heathrow spokesperson said: "The Court of Appeal dismissed all appeals against the government – including on ‘noise’ and ‘air quality’ – apart from one which is eminently fixable. We will appeal to the Supreme Court on this one issue and are confident that we will be successful.
"In the meantime, we are ready to work with the Government to fix the issue that the court has raised. Heathrow has taken a lead in getting the UK aviation sector to commit to a plan to get to Net Zero emissions by 2050, in line with the Paris Accord. Expanding Heathrow, Britain’s biggest port and only hub, is essential to achieving the Prime Minister’s vision of Global Britain. We will get it done the right way, without jeopardising the planet’s future. Let’s get Heathrow done."
Unite the union, which represents thousands of workers at the airport, urged the government to take immediate action.
Assistant general secretary Diana Holland said: "Hundreds of thousands of jobs are at risk if the government does not take immediate action to ensure that Heathrow expansion goes ahead. However, Unite is adamant this must not be at the expense of the environment.
"The government must bring forward new proposals that are in line with the UK’s environmental commitment."
"This is a major test for the government about whether it is serious about transforming the UK’s infrastructure and building a highly skilled, environmentally sustainable economy, capable of dealing with the challenges of the future."
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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