Luton to monitor more air pollutants than any UK airport

Luton Airport has commissioned an air quality monitoring ‘supersite’ that will measure more pollutants than any other UK airport.

All UK airports monitor nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) but just Heathrow and Manchester monitor particulate matter (PM2.5).

Some also monitor a selection of other pollutants including ozone (O3), sulphur dioxide (SO2), benzene, carbon monoxide (CO), and black carbon.

Luton Airport will monitor all the pollutants above, plus PM1 and two Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), naphthalene and toluene.

The monitoring station will collect data 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days per year, other than during any maintenance operations.

The averaging time for each pollutant will be one hour or less.

Luton Airport

That data will be reviewed monthly and the airport will publish an annual report of its findings and any required mitigation action. They also say they will also prepare and publish shorter reports on a quarterly basis.

The site is located downwind and north-east of the airport.

Cllr Andy Malcolm, chair of LLAL and Luton Council’s portfolio holder for finance said: ‘Later this year we will be holding a Statutory Consultation on our detailed plans for long-term growth of the airport, and this is a sign of our absolute commitment to achieve the right balance between delivering significant economic and employment growth across the sub-region and minimising and mitigating impacts on the environment.

‘The new supersite will enable us to achieve the best understanding in the country of the impact of an airport on air quality, and inform our work to positively manage associated impacts.’