Airport industry Net Zero 2050 Resolution expanded and reaffirmed, with tighter criteria and renewed ambition

 TravelDailyNews Media. Committed airports surpass 300 across Europe, with more than 50 airports joining for the first time; Over 130 airports now set to decarbonise fully from emissions under their control by 2030 or earlier.

BARCELONA – ACI Europe announced a renewed and enhanced commitment to net zero carbon emissions1 with more European airports than ever before committed to achieving decarbonisation for emissions1 under their control by 2050. As the ACI Europe/World Annual General Assembly, Congress and Exhibition gets underway in Barcelona, the European airport industry put environmental sustainability front and centre, setting the scene at the year’s most important global gathering of airport leaders.

More airports, accelerated targets, enhanced transparency

A raft of accelerated and expanded commitments by European airports was released:

• The total number of airports individually committed to net zero carbon emissions in Europe has risen to 3242 in 38 countries – accounting for 76%3 of the continent’s passenger traffic.

Since the last progress update, in June 2022, 57 airports undersigned the ACI Europe Net Zero Resolution for the first time, including Aerfort Idirnaisiunta Dhun na nGall, Aéroport Bergerac Dordogne Périgord, Aéroport de Bordeaux-Mérignac, Aéroport de Pau – Pyrénées, Billund Airport, Connaught Airport Development Company, DHMI (43 airports in Türkiye), Farnborough Airport, Flughafen Friedrichshafen, Flughafen Köln-Bonn GmbH, Fraport TAV Antalya, Košice Airport, Regional & City Airports (Solent & Coventry4) and SOF Connect (Sofia Airport).

• 48 airports have advanced their target over last year’s pledge, whilst 132 airports are now committed to reaching net zero by 2030 or earlier. This group of climate trailblazers now includes:

– 2020 (Achieved): Swedavia AB (10 airports in Sweden)
– 2023: ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal | VINCI Airports (Beja, Madeira, Ponta Delgada airports)
– 2023: VINCI Airports (Toulon Hyères)
– 2025: Athens International Airport, Finavia Corporation (20 airports in Finland)
– 2026: Aéroports de Lyon | VINCI Airports (Lyon Airport), ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal | VINCI Airports (Porto Santo Airport)
– 2028: Aéroport de La Réunion Roland Garros
– 2029: Port of Jersey Airport & Harbours Group
– 2030: Aarhus Airport, Aéroport Marseille Provence, Aeroporti di Roma (2 airports in Italy), Aeroporto Guglielmo Marconi di Bologna, Aéroports de Lyon (Lyon-Bron), Aeroportos de Portugal | VINCI Airports (6 airports in Portugal, including Lisbon), Avinor (44 airports in Norway), Billund Airport, Bristol International Airport, Brussels Airport Company, Brussels South Charleroi Airport, Copenhagen Airports, Edinburgh Airport, Eindhoven Airport, EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, Farnborough Airport, Flughafen Memmingen, Gatwick Airport | VINCI Airports, Groningen Airport Eelde, Groupe ADP (Paris-Orly and Le Bourget airports), Isavia, Leeds Bradford International Airport, London City Airport, Port Lotniczy Lodz, Rotterdam The Hague Airport, Royal Schiphol Group, SEA Aeroporti di Milano Linate e Malpensa, SAVE (Venice Airport), Société Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur (3 airports in France), Société de l’Aéroport de Luxembourg, Tallinn Airport, TORP Sandefjord Airport, VINCI Airports (9 airports in France, including Nantes-Atlantique).

The reaffirmed ACI Europe Net Zero Resolution now requires committed airports to submit a net zero carbon roadmap within one year.

The publicly available repository of airport net zero carbon roadmaps, provided by ACI Europe to ensure the transparency and efficacy of airports’ progress to their climate objectives, is set to further expand. The updated repository now covers the net zero plans of 153 airports, and is complemented by the Resolution’s new requirement to submit such a roadmap by 31 May 2024.

• An updated edition of ACI Europe’s Guidance document on Developing an Airport Net Zero Roadmap5 was released today to accompany this package of initiatives, and support airports as they build their plans.

Εuropean Commission’s Alliance for Zero Emission Aviation (AZEA)

Olivier Jankovec, ACI Europe Director General said: “The European airport industry is embracing decarbonisation on an unprecedented scale. The ACI Europe Net Zero Resolution, first launched in 2019, has become a reference point for airports’ commitments and tangible progress in reaching net zero carbon as fast as possible.

As we reaffirm our Resolution today, it is important to underline that no airport wavered in their resolve to face deep business transformation – all previous signatories reaffirmed their pledge and some 50 more joined for the first time this year. Over 130 airports are now set to reach net zero by 2030 or earlier, making a significant contribution to the EU goal of cutting CO2 emissions by 55% in that timeframe.”

He added “Of course this commitment doesn’t appear out of thin air. It is underpinned by the fact that the majority of airport signatories are already delivering tangible carbon reductions year after year within the global carbon management standard for airports – Airport Carbon Accreditation. With its 6 levels of accreditation, the programme provides a rigorous structure to more sustainable operations for airports of all sizes and locations – and accountability for meeting these. I’m delighted to announce that in light of increased ambition from within the industry to reach net zero, we are now working on the foundations of a new level to stretch these ambitions yet further. Watch this space!”

Going beyond the charted territory – Scope 3 emissions

Decarbonisation of airport-owned emissions is a high priority for the European airport industry. However, there is no escaping the fact that these emissions are proportionally much less significant when weighted against the greenhouse gas emissions of flights.

Through a number of key partnerships and alliances, notably the Destination 20506 alliance, the European Commission’s Alliance for Zero Emission Aviation7 (AZEA) and Renewable and Low-Carbon Fuels Value Chain Industrial Alliance8 (RLCF), ACI Europe is working with industry partners and institutional stakeholders to find solutions and elaborate policies that hold the promise of Scope 3 reductions. Notably, ACI Europe elaborated practical guidance for airports to reduce Scope 3 emissions and in particular aircraft emissions in its Guidance document on Airports Contribution to Net Zero Aviation9. On the ground, European airports are already hard at work to unlock the decarbonising potential of Sustainable Aviation Fuels for their airline partners, and make headway in research and development of the infrastructure that will be needed for the future aircraft types (hydrogen-powered and electric).

1 ACI Europe Resolution
2 Airports committed to Net Zero
3 Baseline year: 2019
4 Exeter, Bournemouth and Norwich were already part of the commitment.
5 ACI Europe’s Guidance document on Developing an Airport Net Zero Roadmap
6 A4E, ACI Europe, ASD, Canso Europe and ERA (D2050 website)
7 Alliance for Zero Emission Aviation
8 Renewable and Low‑Carbon Fuels Value Chain Industrial Alliance
9 Guidance document on Airports Contribution to Net Zero Aviation