Dubai, London Heathrow and Los Angeles airports produce three times more emissions than the city of Paris

Three airports – Dubai International Airport, Heathrow Airport and Los Angeles International Airport – produce three times more emissions than the city of Paris on an annual basis, according to new research by ODI Global and Transport & Environment.

The 2026 Airport Tracker examined emissions linked to passenger, freight and private flights across 1,300 airports worldwide. It found that in 2023 (the year for which the latest data is available), more than half the airports analysed produced twice as much emissions as the city of Paris over a 12-month period.

On a regional basis, airports in Europe account for more emissions than Latin America, the Middle East and Africa combined, while London, with six airports, is the top contributor to airport-related pollution of all global cities.

On a global level, just 100 airports are responsible for around two thirds of total CO2 emissions from passenger flights, with airports in the USA and China alone accounting for more than a third of the total.

Aviation emissions

“Since the Paris Agreement in 2015, we’ve seen many sectors gradually reduce their emissions while aviation’s have risen steadily,” commented Sam Pickard, research associate at ODI Global. “On top of that, we still regularly hear about airport expansion plans that ignore the sector’s outlier status when it comes to emissions.

“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. A genuine strategy and roadmap that include demand management are sorely needed”

Other findings include that some 20 airports individually produced more emissions in 2023 than a coal-fired power plant, while five airports – Dubai, Heathrow, Los Angeles, Incheon International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport – generated around four times as much.

Flights linked to the 1,300 airports analysed in the study collectively produced 1,022 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2023, with the report noting that if aviation were treated as a country, it would rank as the world’s fifth largest emitter.

Expanded capacity

“Allowing a fossil-dependent sector to continue expanding by increasing airport capacity only reinforces aviation’s greatest vulnerability,” commented Denise Auclair, head of T&E’s Travel Smart Campaign.

“In the majority of European capitals and regions, the economic case for airport expansion is no longer supported by the latest evidence. It’s high time to prioritise our energy independence and citizens’ health. One of the key strategic levers we have is to align airport capacity with our climate, air quality and noise protection goals.” Read more here.

The 10 Most Polluting Airports by CO2 Emissions

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