Manchester United defend decision to fly to Leicester for Premier League match

Fourth-placed United face Leicester at the King Power Stadium at 3pm on Saturday, and the visitors opted to fly in ahead of the game.

United have said that decisions on travel are taken “based on operational circumstances” and that the team would not necessarily always fly to this game.

Pressure continues to grow on large companies and industries like aviation to do more to tackle carbon emissions and pollution, and world leaders will gather at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (known as COP26) later this month.

Manchester United announced in July they were teaming up with Renewable Energy Group, Inc., a leading producer of renewable fuels, with “a shared mission to tackle climate change and create a cleaner world”.

When asked specifically about travel to the Leicester game, they said:

• They have a policy to purchase certified green electricity for all club buildings and facilities.
• They achieved the Carbon Trust Standard certification for a sixth consecutive year in 2020, demonstrating their successful commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions annually; they are the first sports club within the UK to achieve the Carbon Trust Standard.
• The Manchester United Energy and Carbon Reduction Programme has achieved 12 consecutive years of energy and carbon reductions, despite the club having grown significantly during that time.
• Since the programme’s launch in 2008, they have reduced annual carbon emissions by over 2,700 tonnes, a reduction equivalent to emissions produced by 540 homes for a year.