The government needs to stop talking about ‘guilt-free flights’ – there’s no such thing

“Guilt-free flying is within our reach.”

So said the government’s Grant Shapps, formerly business, formerly-formerly transport, now energy security and net zero secretary.

“Guilt-free flying”. It’s the one phrase that, more than any other, is guaranteed to make my blood boil. And people in positions of power – people who really should know better, and do – seem to love nothing more than to throw it about with reckless abandon.

In this particular instance, Mr Shapps was referring to the Conservative government’s decision to pump £113m into funding hydrogen and all-electric aviation technologies. Projects getting a cash injection include Bristol-based electric aircraft manufacturer Vertical Aerospace’s lightweight batteries, and Rolls-Royce’s plans to create a liquid hydrogen combusting jet engine.

“Guilt-free flying is within our reach, and we are backing the world-leading UK firms whose skills and ingenuity are going to make that dream a reality,” said Mr Shapps of the funding. “As the whole world moves to greener forms of aviation, there is a massive opportunity for the UK’s aerospace industry to secure clean, green jobs and growth for decades to come. Together with the companies that share our ambitions, we are determined to seize this moment.”

Transport secretary Mark Harper added: “The Jet Zero Council is helping to define the future of flying – one that’s more optimistic about the sector’s environmental impact while putting UK innovation at the forefront of international aviation.”

And fair play: it is, in some respects, an exciting time for the development of carbon neutral air travel technologies in the UK. Just last month, a British aerospace company completed a groundbreaking test flight of the world’s largest aircraft powered by a hydrogen-electric engine. ZeroAvia successfully flew a 19-seater hydrogen electric-powered Dornier 228 testbed aircraft in the UK town of Kemble on 19 January; it was the largest plane powered by a hydrogen-electric engine to ever complete a test flight. Taking off from the company’s R&D facility at Cotswold Airport in Gloucestershire, the plane was airborne for 10 minutes.

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