{
  "id": 7699972,
  "title": "Third Heathrow runway should only go ahead if airlines pay for cleaner flying, say advisers",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/third-heathrow-runway-should-only-go-ahead-if-airlines-pay-for-7699972",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-16T00:05:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC Business",
    "slug": "bbc-business",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c607lxnvn7r4o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Climate Change Committee (CCC) claims that Heathrow's third runway expansion cannot be approved without modifying existing climate policies. The CCC suggests that the aviation industry should finance cleaner fuels and pay for carbon dioxide removal machines, which could increase the cost of flights to Alicante by £150 and to New York by £400 by 2050. The expanded airport would emit more carbon than any other sector by 2050. Heathrow insists that expansion and climate goals are not mutually exclusive and that it will deliver both. However, the CCC chair, Nigel Topping, stated that the current conditions for Heathrow expansion do not align with the UK's Net Zero target. The government is considering the CCC's advice and will weigh it alongside other responses to its consultation. The £33 billion project would increase Heathrow's capacity to 150 million passengers annually, up from 85 million. While the CCC believes that making the industry bear the costs of clean-up is the fairest approach, the airline industry disputes this, arguing that the transition must be affordable.",
  "summary": "The government's climate advisers say Heathrow's third runway cannot be approved under current climate policies.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Guardian Business",
        "title": "Airlines should pay for CO2 removal if Heathrow expands, say climate advisers",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/airlines-should-pay-for-co2-removal-if-heathrow-expands-say-climate",
        "published": "2026-09-16T04:00:12.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}