Three European Airports Make the Top 10 List of the World's Dirtiest Hubs

There is a certain irony in an airport promising to save the climate while burning enough jet fuel to power a small nation. New data has just named three European hubs among the ten most polluting airports in the world, and none of them are exactly tiny regional airstrips.

The research comes from ODI Global, a global affairs think tank, working in partnership with Transport and Environment (T&E). They analyzed the climate and air quality impacts of 1,300 international airports using 2023 data — the most recent available — provided by the International Council on Clean Transportation. Their conclusion? If the aviation sector were a country, it would be the fifth-largest emitter on the planet. That is not a compliment.

So, who tops the shame list? The crown goes to Dubai Airport in the United Arab Emirates, a major transfer hub that pumped out 23.2 million tonnes of CO2. That is not a typo. Coming in a close second is London Heathrow, with 21 million tonnes. Los Angeles rounds out the top three at 18.8 million tonnes. Here is a number to sit with: those three airports alone are responsible for three times as many CO2 emissions as the entire city of Paris. And that calculation excludes aviation emissions from Paris itself.

Seoul Incheon airport ranks fourth, followed by New York's John F. Kennedy in fifth. Then comes Hong Kong, followed by Paris Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt in Germany — two more European entries bringing the continent's total to three in the top ten. The findings also note that globally, just 100 airports account for roughly two-thirds of all CO2 emissions from passenger flights. European airports, as a group, produce more emissions than hubs in Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa combined. Combined.

Now for the part where the industry's promises start to look wobbly. According to T&E, the new research shows aviation remains "off-track" to meet its net-zero goals. Denise Auclair of T&E argues that allowing a fossil-dependent sector to keep expanding by increasing airport capacity only reinforces aviation's greatest vulnerability. She added that in most European capitals and regions, the economic case for airport expansion is no longer supported by the latest evidence, and that it is high time to prioritize energy independence and citizens' health.

Sam Pickard, a research associate at ODI Global, noted that while many sectors have gradually reduced their emissions since the Paris Agreement in 2015, aviation's footprint has risen steadily. He warned that we still regularly hear about airport expansion plans that ignore the sector's outlier status when it comes to emissions. Pickard added that this should no longer be buried under the rug with half-baked promises of ramping up expensive so-called Sustainable Aviation Fuels or weak offset mechanisms. His words, not mine. He called for a genuine strategy and roadmap that includes demand management.

London Heathrow, which holds the uncomfortable title of Europe's top polluter, responded by saying it has a clear plan to hit net zero. The airport also stated that its expansion plans need to meet the UK's legally binding targets on carbon, air quality, and noise as set out by the government.

Dubai Airport and LAX have been approached for comment. Whether they will respond between takeoffs and landings remains to be seen.

Written by Thorben Thiede