ABSTRACT
Using a mixture of interview and historical analysis, this chapter considers the growth of aviation as partly arising from coalitions of actors working together to sustain that growth. Particular attention is paid to the coalition that has driven the UK Aviation White Paper, as this provides the policy support for decades of air traffic growth, with a corresponding impact on emissions. The research is one element of broader research undertaken at Tyndall Manchester that has explored the context, dynamics and drivers for aviation growth in the UK. The work concludes that aviation growth is fuelled by two coupled processes. The first, described in Chapter 11, consists of the way in which common practices, such as the celebration of an event, are coupled with the availability of cheap flights. This combination acts as a ratchet, increasing the number of flights taken. The second process is the expansion of the aviation industry, where coalitions of actors are working to achieve the expansion agenda set out by the UK Government in the Aviation White Paper (AWP). Together, these two processes combine to achieve rates of growth which will seriously undermine the UK’s climate change and carbon targets (Bows and Anderson, 2007).
