How big would a two runway airport be?
The proposals set out in the 2008 Stansted Airport planning application (which was abandoned in 2010) would have increased the size of the airport by 50% to around 14 square kilometres. This is similar to the area enclosed by London’s Circle Line.
How real is climate change?
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (‘IPCC’) was established in 1988 by the United Nations to increase understanding of climate change and assess its likely impacts and options for adaption and mitigation. The IPCC’s reports are generally regarded as authoritative. The IPCC has concluded that “Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and rising global average sea level”. Moreover, the IPCC has assessed, with a 90% probability, that the prime cause of global warming was greenhouse gas emissions resulting from human activity.
Atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases now exceed by far the natural range of such concentrations over the last 650,000 years. Estimates for the anticipated temperature increase in the 21st century range from 1.8 degrees centigrade to 4.0 degrees. It is generally acknowledged that the maximum safe level is an increase of 2 degrees.
How does aviation contribute to climate change?
Aircraft in flight emit carbon dioxide (‘CO2’) and a number of other substances that contribute to global warming, including nitrous oxides, methane and water vapour, which causes the formation of contrails and cirrus clouds. The effect of these additional emissions is still the subject of research but it is generally accepted that they, at least, double the effect of the CO2 Carbon emissions from UK aviation have more than trebled in the last 35 years from 12.5m tonnes in 1985 to 38.8 million tonnes in 2019. The advice of the Committee on Climate Change is that UK aviation emissions must be no more than 37.5m tonnes of CO2 in 2050.
The government is committed to reducing total UK greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050 and to stabilise aviation emissions by 2050 at 2005 levels (i.e. 37.5m tonnes. The Committee on Climate Change has calculated that to achieve this result passenger numbers cannot increase by more than 60% over the period, a figure that is much smaller than the DfT’s growth projections. Aircraft are continually becoming more fuel efficient but these gains are typically about 1% per annum and are far outstripped by the increases in air travel. The industry is experimenting with the use of biofuels but there are considerable doubts as to how biofuels can be produced in a sustainable manner. The Government does not expect biofuels to have a significant impact as an alternative to conventional aviation fuel in the near future.
SSE estimates that Stansted Airport emitted the equivalent of 3.6m tonnes of CO2 in 2019. Click here to see the basis for SSE’s estimates. Click here to see the basis for SSE’s estimates.
How can I join Stop Stansted Expansion?
Click here to print a Membership Application form
How can I help Stop Stansted Expansion?
Click here to see what anyone can do
How can I complain about aircraft or airport noise?
If you are disturbed by a particularly noisy flight, please complain via this form on our website. Please treat this service responsibly – do not give the Airport the opportunity to discredit the number of public complaints received. You can also complain direct to the Airport on the 24 hours freephone complaints line – 0800 243788.
You should receive a detailed reply if your complaint refers to an incident involving an outgoing flight that was detected as exceeding the noise limits when passing over the noise sensors at each end of the runway. There are, in practice, no effective noise limits on arriving aircraft, other than a prohibition on the very noisiest aircraft using Stansted at night.
If you do not receive a reply, your complaint will still be logged and added to the quarterly statistics which are presented to Stansted Airport Consultative Committee (STACC), a body that monitors the airport.
How can I find out more about Stansted Airport’s Noise Complaints procedures?
Ring the Freephone complaints line (0800 243 788) during office hours and ask for the leaflet describing the work of the Flight Evaluation Unit. More information can be found here.
How can I report the smell of aviation fuel?
Our noise complaints form can also be used to report the smell of aviation fuel.
How can I receive SSE’s latest e-news?
Click here to receive regular email news updates
How should I write to the Press?
Click here for guidance on how to write to the Press
How can I contact the SSE office?
Email here
How can I contact the SSE webmaster?
Email here
How can I print my own copies of posters?
Click here to download a poster ready for printing on A4 paper or card
