daa, the operator of Dublin and Cork airports, has unveiled the details of 20 environmental sustainability initiatives being rolled out at Dublin and Cork Airports in Ireland.
These initiatives are intended to accelerate both airports’ climate and sustainability-related ambitions, including achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 at the latest. The projects are also matched by a planned investment of more than €400m (US$430m) as part of the company’s recent Infrastructure Application to Fingal County Council.
The 20 initiatives announced by daa include: moving all airside vehicles powered by diesel to hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) at Dublin Airport; the light vehicle fleets at both Dublin and Cork airports being 100% electric by the end of 2024; submitting a planning application for a 1,800,000kW solar farm at Cork Airport; improving air quality at bus stations at both Dublin and Cork airports with photobioreactor technology; the fast-tracking of a shared bikes project for Dublin Airport; the completion of work on over 20 additional electric vehicle parking spaces at Dublin Airport; Cork Airport upgrading its apron lighting to energy-efficient LED technology; new interventions to increase rainwater harvesting, water reuse and the earlier detection of water leaks; and improvements in lighting and ground support equipment (GSE), are also on the airport operator’s roadmap.
daa is also participating in the Irish government’s ‘Decarbonisation – Reduce Your Use’ campaign, which will play a significant role in engaging all colleagues as part of initiatives being undertaken in 2024.
Attendees at the launch event last week in Dublin city center heard what daa is already doing to reduce its own (Scope 1 and Scope 2) emissions at Dublin and Cork airports, and also how the airport operator is committed to working hand-in-hand with airlines and other companies in the aviation sector to reduce the environmental impact of their operations (Scope 3 emissions).
Such initiatives at Dublin Airport include a 90% reduction in carbon emissions from airside vehicles by the switch from diesel to hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO); investigating on-site solar; ground fleet electrification; and participating in government task forces on sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and hydrogen to accelerate these alternatives.
Speaking at a launch event, Kenny Jacobs, CEO of daa, enthused, “Sustainability sits at the heart of everything that daa is doing and has planned for the years ahead. The 20 projects we’re announcing details of today align with our commitment to meet Ireland’s ongoing international connectivity needs while ensuring safe, efficient and sustainable growth. With a wide range of projects already planned for this year, we are dedicated to fast-tracking our achievement of net zero by 2050 at the latest.”
Jack Chambers, Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin West constituency, Minister of State at the Department of Transport, added, “I am delighted to hear about the range of sustainability initiatives daa has planned for Dublin and Cork Airports, all of which support daa’s ambition to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. These initiatives are broad-ranging and innovative and demonstrate daa’s continued commitment to meeting their sustainability goals.”
At the event, daa was presented with the Smarter Travel Mark – awarded to organizations with a broad range of measures in place that support sustainable travel – by the National Transport Authority. daa also announced that it has secured commitments from bus operators that they will deliver a seat for every passenger from 2024 onwards, with more than 35 million bus seats expected to be available by 2025.
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