East Midlands Airport fined nearly £900,000 for environmental pollution

The airport has apologised and stated that it is confident it cannot happen again due to the improvements it has carried out.

The Environment Agency has prosecuted East Midlands Airport Ltd for allowing discharges of drainage water containing aircraft and runway de-icing fluid.

At Derby Crown Court on Monday 28 July 2025, the company was fined £892,500 for 3 offences of breaching environmental permits for the airport site near Nottingham. 

The court was told that the offences had occurred between 14 January 2022 and 4 February 2022.

The Environment Agency said that "The airport’s operation potentially causes water pollution through the discharge of surface water drainage containing residues of de-icing fluid from aircraft and runways.

"The discharge must therefore meet quality limits as set out in the airport’s environment permit. These limits are calculated to protect the environment.

"Any failure to meet these limits is therefore likely to have a chronic impact on the watercourse and result in a deterioration in water quality."

East Midlands Airport’s Managing Director Steve Griffiths said: “I’m sorry that in 2022 there were issues with the operation of our water drainage system which led to breaches of our permit on three occasions.

“Since this period we have been working with the Environment Agency and external industry experts to carry out remedial action. We have put in place £11m of improvements, including establishing a new water management team focused on inspecting, maintaining and operating the surface water management system daily.

“We have installed new monitoring equipment at key locations which provide better insight into prevailing water quality and quantity conditions, implemented additional aeration capability which improves the way water is treated before being discharged to the watercourse, as well as carrying out comprehensive remedial works and desilting of ponds. We have also introduced a specially adapted sweeper to clean up de-icer from the airfield before it reaches the drainage system.

“I’m satisfied that the issues that led to this prosecution have been fully addressed by these measures. We take our environmental responsibilities very seriously and will continue to look at ways to minimise our environmental impact.”