Philip Hammond, UK Transport Secretary, has urged airlines to become "greener", on both emissions and noise pollution.
Hammond has launched a "scoping document" that will collect views on a new aviation policy. "We are not anti-aviation – we are anti-carbon," he said. "We are firmly focused on the benefits aviation can bring, particularly in terms of economic growth. But we are not prepared to support growth at any price.
"The aviation industry needs to do more, not just on emissions but also in terms of its other environmental impacts, particularly noise. The current pace of technological change is not fast enough to reconcile growth on the scale of recent years with meeting our climate change targets or, in relation to some airports, our aspirations on local environmental impacts."
Industry members are asked to answer questions about the future of the aviation market by the end of September. A draft aviation policy framework will be published for consultation in March 2012, with a view to formal adoption by March 2013.