Informant38

The warning comes from the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP), which reported on the environmental impact of aviation twice before, in 1994 and 1997.

The commission notes: "Neither of these reports has yet received an official response."

Its chairman is Sir Tom Blundell, professor of biochemistry at the University of Cambridge.

He said: "Emissions from aircraft are likely to be a major contributor to global warming if the present increase in air traffic continues unabated.

"The government shows little sign of having recognised that action to reduce the impacts of air transport is just as important as action in other sectors contributing to climate change.