'Environment fears taken seriously' - airport boss

Environmental concerns over London Luton Airport's approved expansion plans are being taken "very seriously", the airport's boss has said. On Thursday, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander approved the plans that would see a new terminal, new taxiways and an increase in annual passengers up to 32m by 2043. However, environmental campaigners said "70,000 more aircraft a year" was the "last thing" the environment needed. Alberto Martin, CE of the airport, said the plans had a "legally binding framework" that put limits on noise and carbon emissions. "Already we do have the highest proportion of any airport in Europe of the most modern aircraft," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "We're talking about the quietest aircraft up there in the skies, the most fuel efficient... sustainability remains at the centre of these plans and they come with the most far reaching and robust environmental commitments of any UK airport. "It comes with a very innovative scheme. It's called Green Control Growth, and it's actually a legally binding framework with limits... on noise, limits on carbon emissions, limits on air quality and surface access. "Those limits will need to be met in order for the airport to be allowed to grow."<br/>