During Farnborough International Airshow, the UK government released its Jet Zero strategy, mandating all airports in England to have zero-emission operations by 2040.
This is an achievable ambition, it said, as two thirds of the UK’s major airports have already set themselves net zero targets prior to 2040.
In support of these targets, the UK government will work collaboratively with airports to develop the requirements for achieving zero-emission operations by 2040. A Call for Evidence on the best approach to implementing the target will be published in Autumn 2022.
Manchester Airport Group CEO Charlie Cornish said:The publication of the Jet Zero strategy is a key milestone in our sector’s drive towards a net zero carbon future. We are proud to play a leading role in the Jet Zero Council, which brings together government and industry to share ideas and innovation to ensure we make this strategy a reality.
The Jet Zero Strategy also commits all UK domestic aviation to achieving net zero emissions by 2040.
To enable this, the government has committed to having at least 5 commercial-scale Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) plants under construction in the UK by 2025 and has mandated that aviation fuels must be blended with at least 10 percent SAF by 2030.
As sustainable aviation technologies are developed, the government will also invest in ground infrastructure to enable airports to handle new types of aircraft and fuel.
These commitments were announced at Farnborough International Airshow, which is taking place between 18 July and 22 July at Farnborough Airport. On the first day of the show, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng also committed 273 million GBP in funding to advance low-carbon aerospace innovation in the UK.
