Improving the environmental performance of airport surface access in the UK: The role of public transport

Simultaneously increasing the proportion of airport surface access journeys that are made by public transport modes and reducing the environmental effects of airport access/egress trips while accommodating growing consumer demand for air and surface access travel are priority areas for the air transport industry and the UK Government. Given the urgent need to reconcile commitments to environmental sustainability with commercial and economic imperatives for growth, this paper analyses the surface access strategies of London's six busiest passenger airports to identify the current challenges of airport surface access provision, examine opportunities for improvement within existing and future infrastructure and offer recommendations as to how increased public transport provision and patronage could improve the environmental performance of UK airport surface access.