Athens International Airport in Greece has become the 25th European airport to attain carbon neutrality via the Airports Council International’s (ACI) Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) program.
Athens International was one of the first airports globally to invest in solar technology, building a €20m (US$21m) photovoltaic park on the airport site as a source of clean, sustainable power. It was also among the early adopters of the ACA program, signing up in its first year in 2009.
There are currently 180 airports signed up to the ACI ACA program worldwide, welcoming 37.3% of global passenger traffic. The program accredits airports at four different levels, including Mapping, Reduction, Optimization and Neutrality.
Olivier Jankovec, director general, ACI Europe, said, “I am delighted for Athens International Airport. Since its inception, it has been an ambitious and worthy addition to the European airport network – one that is always looking to innovate and push the boundaries of excellence in all aspects of airport management and efficiency. In that spirit, it was one of the earliest advocates of the need for a carbon standard for the airport industry and has been an active participant in the ACA program from the very outset. So my heartfelt congratulations to all the team at Athens Airport on their achievement of becoming carbon neutral – another of their ambitions realized.”
Dr Yiannis Paraschis, CEO of Athens International Airport, said, “By achieving carbon neutrality, Athens International Airport continues to tangibly demonstrate its commitment to the fight against climate change. We are proud to be among leading airports, not only as a major economic engine, but also through our reduced ecological footprint thanks to the environmental awareness and complementary efforts of our colleagues and partners across the airport community.”
Written by Dan Symonds