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Environmental Sustainability Panel

The Panel provides expert technical advice to support the CAA's work.

The Environmental Sustainability Panel is a specialist, non-statutory body providing expert technical advice to the CAA. The Panel supports and challenges us on the delivery of our environmental sustainability strategy as we develop our policy and position across our regulatory and advisory functions. These functions relate to the safety and security of the aviation sector and protection of consumers who use it, and include supporting and challenging the aviation and aerospace sectors as they manage and reduce their negative environmental impacts, such as emissions and noise, and advising Government.  

The Environmental Sustainability Panel will act as a 'critical friend' to the CAA, in a similar way as our existing Consumer Panel, providing expert technical advice to ensure that environmental and sustainability issues are considered in our policy development to the extent that current legislation requires and allows.

The key activities of the Panel are to:

  • provide expert technical advice to the CAA to support our work programme relating to our environmental roles, or on specific tasks that we may require, including input to our response to any relevant external consultations;
  • help the CAA to understand and take account of environmental interests and impacts in our regulatory policy and framework (although the Panel will not be expected to review or comment on individual regulatory decisions);
  • challenge and support the CAA on our progress towards our strategic focus on improving environmental performance, both within the aviation and aerospace sectors and within the CAA itself, including informing the delivery and future evolution of our environmental sustainability strategy;
  • Provide advice and critique on the CAA’s research and help identify where further research may be needed to inform our sustainability agenda.

The Panel is not set up to:

  • campaign publicly or deal with individual complaints from the public;
  • represent or correspond directly with air travellers, industry or community groups unless requested to do so by the CAA;
  • be involved in or comment on operational issues or complaints raised by individuals, such as noise from flight paths.

The Panel will work in accordance with its Terms of Reference.

The Environmental Sustainability Panel brings a wealth of environmental expertise in aviation and other sectors across noise, carbon and other environmental impacts, covering both the technical challenges and solutions for greening aviation, and the impact of emissions and noise on public health.  The Panel members, each of whom will contribute around one day a month to the role, are:

Dr Sally Howes, Chair

Dr Howes’ career started in software engineering in the space sector, where she was involved in the development of Earth observation and meteorological satellites. She was awarded an OBE for services to the UK space industry in 2004. She holds a PhD in hydrology from the University of Bristol, and a Master of Arts in Geography from the University of Cambridge.

Professor Charlotte Clark

Charlotte is a Professor in Environmental Epidemiology at City St George’s, University of London. She is an expert in applying social science to the issue of noise effects on health and communities, and has broad experience working with airports, regulators, governments and communities. Charlotte will bring objective and evidence-based advice on the impacts of noise on the community to the Panel.

Dr Martin Hawley

Martin is an expert in Air Traffic Management (ATM), with nearly thirty years’ experience working at the interface of business, technology and operations - in airport, terminal and enroute contexts. He has a long-standing interest in sustainable aviation and has analysed the impact of numerous new technologies and innovative operations on improving flight efficiency. He is a strategic thinker with international experience and a background in academic research.

Dr Ralitsa Hiteva

Ralitsa is an experienced innovation, regulation, and Net Zero scientist and expert. As a Principal Research Fellow within the Science Policy Research Unit at the University of Sussex Business School, she had 12 years of experience leading research on economic regulation across energy, ICT, transport, water, waste and healthcare. She brings extensive expertise in environmental sustainability and consumer vulnerability in the in the context of digitalisation, decarbonisation and sustainable transitions. She is currently part of the National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) commercial strategy team and holds advisory roles with the Consumer Panel for the Office of Rail and Road, and Citizens Advice 1066. 

Professor David Lee

David is a Professor of Atmospheric Science and Director of the Centre for Aviation, Transport, and the Environment (CATE) at Manchester Metropolitan University. With 25 years of experience as a specialist in climate science, having participated in many assessments of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, he is skilled in developing the links between science and policy. He has particular interest in the policy aspects of mitigating the impacts of aviation on climate.

Professor Alastair Lewis

A Professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of York, Alastair has over 25 years of experience in scientific research on the environmental impacts of transport, fuels and combustion on public health, climate change and the response of ecosystems. He is also the Science Director for the National Centre for Atmospheric Science, and is passionate about communicating science, technology and risk to the general public.

Professor Anil Namdeo

Anil is a Professor of Air Quality and Net Zero at Northumbria University. His research focuses on environmental and sustainability assessment of land use, transportation and other developmental policies. Passionate about translating scientific information in easy-to-understand language, his overall focus is on developing win-win policies by providing scientific expertise to support analysis and trade-offs between carbon, noise and air quality.

Professor Brian Pearce

Brian is an Honorary Professor at University College London, and Executive Director of UCL’s Air Transportation Systems Laboratory. He is also President of the European Aviation Conference Institute, a Visiting Professor at Cranfield University and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. Brian was previously Chief Economist at the International Air Transport Association, during which he was a member of Air New Zealand’s Sustainability Panel and an expert adviser to the Airports Commission. Previous appointments include: Director of Sustainable Investment at Forum for the Future, Technical Director at ERM, and head of global economics at SBC Warburg Dillon Read.

Professor Mark Westwood

Mark is a Professor and Head of Centre for Aeronautics at Cranfield University. A technology leader and specialist in aerospace and autonomous systems, including R&D in drone and advanced air mobility sectors, he is passionate about exploring the opportunities presented by new technologies and developing them into sustainable, practical real-world applications.

2026

2025

2024

2022