A boss at Cardiff Airport has responded to claims that the airport is a 'climate change villain'. He also said that the information provided by Friends of the Earth is inaccurate - flying to Lapland and back equates to the carbon footprint of driving 3000 miles in a Ford Focus, 5500 miles less than claimed by a green campaign group.
Next month packaged holiday company Transun will offer children and parents the chance to fly from the airport to Finland for rides on husky, reindeer sleds and a meeting Santa in his snow covered log cabin. But Friends of the Earth claim the 3000-mile, 7 hour round trip flights to see a white Christmas will accelerate global warming, meaning future generations may never actually see Wales celebrate a white one.
Gordon James, director of FoE Cymru, warned that unless travellers radically alter the way they live to cut carbon emissions, before long there would not be any snow in Lapland either. He added that an online calculator, at www.chooseclimate.org, suggests that the trip could emit about 680kg per person of carbon dioxide, which could equate to driving about 8500 miles in a Ford Focus.
But Steve Hodgetts, head of strategy at Cardiff Airport, said the figure equates to 3000 miles of driving, and that could easily be saved by families who carbon offset their journey. He added: 'We are part of the Sustainable Aviation lobby group, comprising airlines, airports and plane manufacturers, looking to make engines and travel routes more efficient. What we need is a balanced approach, taking into account the benefits of the airport too.'
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