18 April 2007 - Green MEP Caroline Lucas will today urge Southampton airport to listen the city’s residents who are opposed to extra flights because of their impact on noise levels and climate change.

Dr Lucas, who represents the south-east of England including Hampshire, is due to meet a group of about 20 residents who live under the airport flightpaths.

She has opposed increased activity at the airport, submitting a response to the airport’s consultation on expansion, and has addressed public meeting on expansion. Dr Lucas sits on the European Parliament’s influential environment committee that considers EU aviation policy.

Dr Lucas said: "I have met Bitterne Park residents before and am well aware of the strength of feeling against expansion of Southampton airport. This year has seen an increase in flights and I want to hear for myself about any negative impact this has had on residents."

The airport recently announced that 146, 400 passengers travelled through the airport in March, a 5.5 per cent increase compared to the same month last year. New routes to Verona , Frankfurt , and Nice have also been added to the schedule.

However, an on-going survey of shoppers in Portswood Road , which is being carried out by Green Party members, has so far shown that 60 per cent are against more flights from the city’s airport [1].

The airport’s masterplan estimates that passenger numbers will go from the 1.84 million in 2005 to 6 million passengers in 2030. The number of take-off and landings are anticipated to grow from 43,900 in 2005 to 96,300 in 2030.

The airport is not planning a new runway, but says that it will need to expand other facilities such as check-in, car parking, aircraft parking stands and taxiways. A new terminal is one of the options to cope with the increased number of passengers between 2015 and 2030.

Dr Lucas said: “Aviation is the fastest-growing source of the greenhouse gas emissions that are fuelling climate change, and we must cut them quickly if we are to prevent its worst impacts. Doing so will require international action – and this could better be achieved by calling time on plans to expand airports and runways around the country and exercising real global leadership on the issue, not tweaking charges to passengers.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor

[1] Questionnaires covering the airport and other issues relating to Southampton, such as a super casino, have been filled in by shoppers. Twenty three per cent were in favour of more flights, 60% were against, and 17% didn’t know.