A campaign group is challenging the government and airlines to do more to reduce aviation’s carbon footprint by giving passengers realistic journey times when booking – and free train tickets.
Campaign for Better Transport’s new Fewer Flights Charter outlines a 10-point plan to reduce aviation’s impact on the environment and give travellers better information.
The charter calls for realistic journey times, which include airport processing times and better information about carbon emissions, so travellers can make more informed choices when booking domestic flights.
It also calls for free train tickets to encourage international passengers to not drive to the airport and reforms to aviation taxation to reduce the overall number of domestic and private flights.
Other recommendations include publishing carbon emissions for domestic flights and the equivalent rail option, introducing a domestic flight reduction target and penalising airlines for flying empty aircraft unnecessarily.
Norman Baker, from Campaign for Better Transport, said: "The government’s strategy for achieving net zero aviation relies on technological advancements which are decades away when we need to cut carbon emissions now.
"The only way to do that is for fewer flights to operate and our 10-point charter offers a way to immediately reduce the aviation sector’s impact on the climate whilst simultaneously boosting the rail market."
According to Campaign for Better Transport, domestic and international aviation emissions have grown by 124% between 1990 and 2019.
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