Riga International Airport in Latvia has purchased four new electric baggage tractors as part of its ongoing efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. The airport attained the first level of ACI’s Airport Carbon Accreditation program in December 2015, and the replacement of four diesel-powered tugs with their electric counterparts is an important step toward achieving the next level.
Each baggage cart moves an average of 500 items of luggage a day, with 12 tractors operating at the airport at any given time. Riga plans to replace a further three tractors with electric vehicles later this year.
ACI’s Airport Carbon Accreditation program has four levels for airports to attain comprising mapping, reduction, optimization and neutrality. The program is independently verified with 151 participating airports worldwide.