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The Independent: PM’s vow to tackle global warming hit by plans to treble flights

11th November, 2005

Airport expansion will treble flights by 2030, flying in the face of vows to cut global warming.By Ian Herbert, Colin Brown and Jonathan Brown Published: 02 November 2006

Britain’s airports are planning to treble the number of flights by 2030, despite the recent Stern report’s grave warnings about the environmental effects of expanding air travel in the UK.

From a third runway at Heathrow to a £25m terminal expansion at Glasgow and 50 extra aircraft stands at Luton, the airports’ expansion proposals are revealed in a 25-year master plan to be presented this autumn to the Department for Transport.

The Government asked for the proposals three years ago when it published an aviation White Paper encouraging expansion. The revelation of their scale will embarrass Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, who led calls for action against global warming.

See article.