Aviation logistics specialist Menzies Aviation will provide Ryanair with fully electric turnarounds at three airports in Europe – Amsterdam Schiphol in the Netherlands, Gothenburg-Landvetter in Sweden and Oslo in Norway.
These three airports are the first locations in Europe where Menzies has provided fully electric green turns. The turns have been made possible through the airports’ existing charging infrastructure for electric equipment.
These turnarounds are designed to help Menzies and Ryanair reduce the carbon footprint of their operations. As a UN Global Compact signatory, Menzies has a sustainability strategy that includes becoming carbon neutral by 2033. A key component of this goal is the evolution of the company’s ground services equipment (GSE) fleet to become fully electric where possible. The company intends to achieve this through the replacement of combustion engines with electric motors.
Thomas Fowler, director of sustainability and finance at Ryanair, added, “At Ryanair we have committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and reducing CO2 emissions per passenger/km by 10% by 2030. That is why we have invested US$22bn in new aircraft that will help us reduce our fuel consumption by approximately 16% on a per-seat basis. We can now offer zero-emissions turnarounds at 11 locations, including Amsterdam, Gothenburg and Oslo, when previously, a standard turnaround could emit up to 52.43kg of CO2. Our partnerships with industry leaders such as Menzies Aviation are vital to us in achieving our goal of being net carbon neutral by 2050.”
Katy Reid, head of sustainability and corporate responsibility for Menzies, said, “We recognize the aviation industry’s role in addressing the climate emergency and we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and becoming carbon neutral, for scope one and two emissions, by 2033. Switching to electric GSE where possible, and ongoing collaboration with partners such as Ryanair, will be vital to achieving this ambition.”
To see a video related to the new green turns, click here.