Can airport really go carbon neutral amid plans to expand flights?

Can airport really go carbon neutral amid plans to expand flights?Image caption, All the cars and buses at the airport run on green electricity, but the planes still use fossil fuelsByDave Harvey, West of England business and environment correspondent and Matty Edwards, BristolPublished21 July 2026Giant heat pumps, electric vehicles, and new fuel efficient planes are being ordered by an airport introducing major changes to cut its carbon emissions.But climate campaigners say the measures "barely touch the surface" of the problem. They say 99% of the carbon emitted by the airport is from planes, and have urged council leaders to reject plans to allow the airport to expand its flights.Mary Collett, from Bristol Airport Action Network, said: "With the weather like this at the moment, the unbearable heat, the fact that we can't grow food as easily, we just can't carry on expanding airports, we all just need to fly a bit less."But like many regional airports, Bristol is keen to expand, and has applied to grow from 12 million passengers a year to 15 million, which airport bosses insist can be done "sustainably".Dave Lees, the airport's chief exec, said new planes are greener than ever, and that Bristol will be "the first airport to be net zero by 2030" - but crucially this does not account for emissions from flights.Image caption, Lees says the airport is on "a journey to net zero"More from BristolDad facing difficult summer as food donations plungePublished1 day agoFormer Victorian baths illuminated for first eventPublished1 day agoDarren Jones sacked from cabinetPublished1 day agoPeople's desire to travel seems limitless, with airlines able to sell more flights to more destinations. The UK Government has backed expansion of regional airports to "drive economic growth". But as the impact of a changing climate is felt in repeated heatwaves, droughts and wildfires this summer, how can we fly ar...