95% of the airport’s pollution comes from planes – and LBA wants more planes

The Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport (GALBA) has warned that LBA’s plan to fly thousands more planes at night would pollute local air quality and cause more damage to the planet.

The community campaigners were responding to LBA’s recent claim that it is focussed on the “well being of our planet and our people” in its Together for Tomorrow strategy.

Nick Hodgkinson, Chair of GALBA, said: “If the airport was at all serious about protecting the health of local people and the planet, they would stop trying to fly more planes at night. It’s a simple fact that around 95% of the pollution from LBA comes from planes – and LBA wants to fly more of them.”

“Jet engines pump out ultra-fine particles which pollute the air, causing lung problems and other serious illnesses. The particles are tiny and get blown by the wind, so it’s not just people living close to the airport who are affected. Anyone who breathes in these ultra-fine particles is at real risk of getting ill.”

“And everyone knows that planes release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere that harm the climate that we all depend on.”

“That’s why GALBA is asking Leeds City Council to use its power to stop all the unauthorised night flights from LBA. The Council has a duty of care to protect the health of local people and it can do that with a stroke of the pen. We want them to crack on!”

LBA has submitted an application to Leeds City Council which, if granted, would exempt its newer generation of planes from the cap on night time flying. The period of public consultation on LBA’s application ended on 25 March.

Celeste Hicks, a leading expert at the independent Aviation Environment Federation, said: “At a time when we should be protecting the right of future generations to a stable climate and clean air, we are instead bequeathing a bigger carbon problem and more toxic air pollution to our children by allowing airports to expand across the country.”

“Many of the assumptions about the role of nascent decarbonisation technologies are pie-in-the-sky. “Sustainable” aviation fuel is at least three times more expensive than conventional jet fuel, backlogs in plane manufacturing mean that fuel efficiency gains may only be half what was projected and there are no permanent carbon capture technologies available at all in the UK today.”

Notes

Ultra-fine particles (UFPs): GALBA has summarised the medical research into the health impacts of UFPs from aircraft engines in this 2xA4 briefing paper. Two recent studies around Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam provide some of the strongest evidence to date. These studies found that on days with high aviation related UFP concentrations, children experienced more symptoms (such as coughs, wheezing and asthma attacks) and increased use of symptom relieving medication (such as inhalers).

CLEUD applications: LBA has submitted an application for a Certificate of Lawful Existing Use or Development to Leeds City Council. LBA is seeking immunity from prosecution for flying its newer generation planes unlawfully at night. If allowed, this would effectively mean there is no regulatory limit on the number of times those planes could fly at night. You can find out more here. There is also information about LBA’s previous failed applications for night flight related CLEUDs on our website.

Leeds City Council’s power: there is a provision in LBA’s planning conditions, set by Leeds City Council, which allows the Council to prevent unlimited night time flying by LBA’s newer generation of planes. GALBA has asked to meet with Cllr Jonathan Pryor, who leads on LBA for the Council, to discuss this power but he has not replied.

Aviation Environment Federation: the AEF is the principal UK NGO campaigning on aviation’s impacts for people and the environment. You can find out more on the AEF’s website.