Top 10 UK airports with highest carbon footprint revealed: List includes Jersey & Norwich

Rahmah Ghazali
·2-min read
Researchers at Utility Bidder said Jersey airport has the highest carbon footprint in the UK. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
Researchers at Utility Bidder said Jersey airport has the highest carbon footprint in the UK. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Jersey has been named the airport with the highest carbon footprint in the UK, a study has found. Researchers at comparison site Utility Bidder said the airport has produced emissions measuring 156g per passenger per km.

Following closely behind with 154g of CO2 emitted per passenger per km was London City Airport. However, it should be noted that both of these small-scale airports are trying to tackle the high levels of pollution with Jersey making plans to alter its flight paths to make routes more efficient, while London City aims to become net zero by 2030.

The third spot went to Southampton Airport, with 135g of carbon emissions per passenger per km, with Belfast George Best Airport coming in fourth with 133g. Interestingly, Heathrow came eighth on the list, with emissions averaging 95g per passenger per km.

The study has also published the least polluting airports in the UK, with Glasgow Prestwick topping the list as the airport with the lowest carbon footprint - just 64g per passenger per km.

The study said: “This airport has been around for over eight decades, being used for both commercial and military transport over the years. With only 64g of carbon emissions per passenger per km, it seems that Glasgow Prestwick has its eyes set on the future.”

Meanwhile, Bournemouth Airport and East Midlands Airport came third and fourth with 67g and 69g per passenger per km respectively. Below is the full list of UK airports with the highest carbon footprint and the lowest carbon footprint.

UK airports with the highest carbon footprint

  1. Jersey - 156

  2. London City - 154

  3. Southampton - 135

  4. Belfast George Best - 133

  5. Inverness - 122

  6. Norwich - 117

  7. Aberdeen - 115

  8. London Heathrow - 95

  9. Exeter - 93

  10. Belfast - 86

UK airports with the lowest carbon footprint

  1. Glasgow Prestwick - 64

  2. Bournemouth - 67

  3. East Midlands - 69

  4. Doncaster Sheffield - 71

  5. London Luton - 73

  6. London Stansted - 74

  7. Leeds Bradford  - 76

  8. Newcastle - 76

  9. Bristol - 77

  10. Liverpool John Lennon - 78