Fiumicino and Ciampino airports in Rome, operated by Aeroporti di Roma (ADR), have achieved the highest level of the Airport Carbon Accreditation program, Level 4+ ‘Transition’, becoming the first in Europe to do so.
To achieve this recognition, airports are required to reduce their CO2 emissions in line with global climate goals, to influence other parties active within the airport site to achieve effective reductions, and to compensate for their residual emissions with reliable carbon credits. Only two other airports in the world have achieved this level of carbon management performance so far: Dallas Fort Worth International in the USA and Delhi Indira Gandhi International in India, while Christchurch International Airport has reached Level 4 ‘Transformation’.
Since 2011, after obtaining the first Airport Carbon Accreditation certification, Aeroporti di Roma has continuously reduced carbon emissions and driven broader reductions within the airport system through an engagement plan involving all stakeholders. Rome Fiumicino Airport has been a carbon neutral airport since 2013 and was joined shortly after by Ciampino Airport.
To accelerate its progress to reach the objectives of the Paris Agreement and achieve Level 4+, Aeroporti di Roma has set out a plan to eliminate all of its own CO2 emissions and thus achieve net-zero CO2 emissions by 2030. The airport operator claims that when this target is achieved, its airports will be 20 years ahead of the curve on the global climate neutrality objectives.
“This noteworthy recognition testifies to our strong commitment to environmental issues and to our willingness to continue tenaciously on this path, convinced of the need to increasingly integrate sustainability and innovation into our core business,” said the CEO of Aeroporti di Roma, Marco Troncone.
“In view of the carbon-intensive nature of the aviation sector and to preserve the connectivity of the future, ADR’s strategy is oriented toward the rapid decarbonization of the airports it manages. In fact, we are aiming to reach zero CO2 emissions by 2030, long in advance of the European references for the sector, with a plan mainly aimed at renewable sources and electric mobility.”
Some of the specific developments made at Aeroporti di Roma in pursuit of emissions reductions include:
• Making sustainable aviation fuel available to airlines by 2024.
• Promoting electric mobility at the airport, with the installation of 500 charging stations for electric vehicles and completely renewing its own fleet.
• Building large photovoltaic plants at the airport for a total capacity of 60MW.
• Joining the EP-100 of The Climate Group’s global initiative on the smarter use of energy, with the ambitious commitment to increase its energy productivity by 150% by 2016.
Discover more about the Airport Carbon Accreditation program in Passenger Terminal World’s exclusive interview with ACI Europe’s head of sustainability, Marina Bylinsky, in the April 2021 issue.