Southampton Airport committed to net zero despite extension

Steve Szalay said the airport is still committed to offset its direct emissions by the mid-2030s.

He made the comments at the official launch of the new runway today which was attended by councillors, MPs and aviation minister Baroness Vere.

The event marked the end of the £17 million investment that started on April 3 to deliver the 164-metre extension to the northern end of Southampton’s runway.   

Mr Szalay said: “Firstly I would like to say thank you to all our supporters and the people who protested have been the minority, but they have some legitimate concerns about noise and the environment.

“Eight thousand people were brought into the consultation and five thousand were in support, so I think democracy has been served and we are here today because we actually built it.

“So the important thing is to leave those arguments to one side and ask ourselves what can we do and how can we work together.”

The ribbon cutting ceremony at Southampton Airport (Image: Cavendish)

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Asked about whether the airport will stick to its commitment to achieving net zero for its direct emissions by the mid-2030s, Mr Szalay said “absolutely”.

He added: “We have a very detailed section 106 with Eastleigh Borough Council, and we intend to honour every single pledge of that [agreement].”

The section 106 is aimed at ensuring that the package of mitigation and long-term management of the airport is secured.

This includes a cap of three million passengers per year, controls on noise and vehicles and the establishment of a Community Health Fund.

Guests attending the launch had the chance to get up close to a World War II Spitfire - synonymous with the city's aviation history - and watch the iconic aircraft take off from the new runway.

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Paul Holmes, MP for Eastleigh, said: “Obviously, we campaigned for this extension and it feels like a job well done.

“It feels like a huge achievement, not only because I committed to it when I was elected in 2019, but also for the region and the leadership that the borough council showed in making sure that this got through.”

He added: “There will still be people that will oppose, but one of the things that I've always said during this journey is that Southampton Airport is committed to ensuring that it's net zero by 2030.”