Focus of work
This project from Possible aimed to counter government plans for aviation growth by developing a route map to reduce aviation demand by 2030, with the aim of moving frequent flyers towards train travel (and getting rid of private jets and frequent flyer programmes) while protecting access to occasional flights.
The project focused on advocating for fair aviation demand constraint, targeting a large media presence and political and parliamentary engagement.
The main output from the project was a report, Flying fair: Modernising the air transport tax system, which proposes a package of policies targeted at ultra-frequent flyers that would reduce emissions by up to 28% and bring in £6bn per year in tax revenue. These policies include implementing a new charge on the tax return of ultra-frequent flyers taking six or more flights per year.
Impact
There is consensus among climate experts that demand management is essential to reduce aviation emissions. However, to get public and political traction for a reduction in air travel and concurrent modal shift to cleaner forms of transport, we need to be able to demonstrate that most people’s travel will be unaffected, and that people will still be able to enjoy recreational leisure travel and take the journeys which matter to them, such as visiting family.
This project counters the arguments against reducing levels of aviation which are made, both implicitly and overtly, by policy makers and the aviation industry around quality of life, holiday travel, and connections with overseas family and friends. It makes a compelling case for specific levels of demand reduction required and the policies needed to get there.