Operator Vinci Airports has reduced the carbon footprint of its airport network by 19% in four years, and has committed to further reductions.
Vinci Airports marked World Environment Day, June 5, by publishing the latest results of AirPact, the integrated environmental policy it launched in 2015. AirPact involves all 46 airports managed by Vinci Airports in 12 countries.
Vinci-run airports have reduced emissions from 1.11kg CO₂-e per traffic unit in 2014 to 0.9kg CO₂-e per traffic unit in 2018. The company has committed all airports within its network to the ACA carbon certification program. Thirty-six out of 46 have already been accredited, including two – Lyon-Saint Exupéry and London Gatwick – at level 3+, certifying carbon neutrality.
To achieve these results despite a sharp increase in passenger numbers, Vinci Airports took several steps, including the installation of self-consumption solar panels; progressive replacement of all lighting with LED lights; and progressive replacement of internal combustion vehicles and ground support equipment with electric models.
Vinci Airports also reaffirmed its environmental commitments, updating its goals by setting two new objectives for 2030: a further 60% reduction in its carbon footprint and achieving carbon neutrality in the majority of the airports in its network, by building on the best practices employed in Lyon-Saint Exupéry and London Gatwick.
Nicolas Notebaert, chief executive officer of Vinci Concessions and president of Vinci Airports, said, “Mobility is a benefit, and air travel has succeeded in recent years in becoming widely accessible. Now we are called on to work together to tackle a new challenge – making air travel more sustainable.
“As an airport infrastructure operator that enables people to travel and airplanes to take off, Vinci Airports does its part to support this progress. Reducing the carbon footprint of our network airports by nearly 20% is a first encouraging step on the path to environmental exemplarity.”