Ground operations emissions reduction

Direct airport emissions and those under airport control represent only about 5% of all aviation emissions. Still, airport operators have made sustained efforts to reduce their CO2 emissions from aircraft operations on the ground. Decarbonising airports is arguably easier than decarbonising aircraft operations, but airport operators have an important role in driving industry-wide climate action.

The main measures that airports can take to improve efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions include:

• Measures to reduce airport congestion, including:
  • Better collaboration between air navigation service providers (ANSPs) and airlines to improve the efficiency of aircraft operations under airport control. This includes the us of techniques and processes such as Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM), time-based separation (TBS) and Co-ordinated Arrival Departure Management (CADM).
  • Increases in runway capacity where increased capacity does not lead to higher demand for aviation.
• Electrifying ground operations.
• Incentivising the use of cleaner aircraft and fuels by airlines through differentiated charging and infrastructure provision.
• Using more sustainable surface access for passengers and staff.

These measures and others are detailed in ACI Europe's Sustainability Strategy (ACI EUROPE, 2019).

ACI World, the trade representative of the world's airports, has also developed an Airport Carbon Accreditation scheme. The scheme assesses and recognises airports' efforts to manage and reduce their CO₂ emissions. Annual reports track progress and participating airports.

Measures to reduce airport congestion

Airport congestion can result in delays during take-off and landing and lead to aircraft burning excess fuel. Aircraft stacking, where aircraft wait to land in the airport's airspace, is a common problem at congested airports. Stacking leads to extra fuel burning close to the ground, generating excess CO2 emissions, but also noise and air pollution.

Airport Collaborative Decision-Making (A-CDM) is a useful measure that minimises congestion. By sharing operational data among aviation stakeholders (ANSPs, airlines, etc.) and linking airports with the air traffic management (ATM) network, A-CDM aligns flight schedules better with the available runway and airspace capacity. Co-ordinated Arrival Departure Management (CADM), time-based separation (TBS), and the application of simulation modelling for better airside co-ordination can also help aviation stakeholders improve operational efficiency and minimise excess fuel burn.

Ensuring that airports have enough runway capacity to accommodate flights also addresses congestion. This can prove challenging for airports located close to population centres. Governments may constrain airport capacity to mitigate adverse impacts like noise or air pollution. Increased capacity may also, eventually, result in increased travel demand, as is common with infrastructure. Capacity increases should be coupled with demand management measures – like pricing measures – to avoid increased demand. Appraisal frameworks for new airport infrastructure, like runways, should consider all environmental costs, including CO2 impacts. The level of carbon pricing assumed in the assessments will influence the result of the analysis. Without carbon pricing, the benefits and costs are typically vastly overestimated or underestimated.

Electrifying ground operations

Airport operators can improve the efficiency of existing infrastructure and buildings and electrify operations on the ground, including handling services and providing fixed electrical ground power and pre-conditioned air for aircraft. Renewable energy for ground operations is essential to reduce airport emissions. This is the case at Schiphol Royal Group airports, which rely entirely on wind power for electric operations.

Incentivising sustainable aviation fuels (SAF)

Airport operators also play an meaningful role in enabling the take-up of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), hybrid-electric and electric aircraft. Some airport operators have started to provide SAF regularly through existing fuel infrastructure (e.g. Avinor and Swedavia). Others have created partnerships, provided expertise and support for SAF production (e.g. Amsterdam Schiphol and Zurich Airport). Airport operators can create commercial incentives for the take-up of electric aircraft; Heathrow Airport Ltd, for example, has announced a one-year waiver on landing charges for the first commercially-operated hybrid-electric or electric aircraft.

Clean transport to and from airports

Inadequate surface access to airports and road congestion also contribute to CO2 emissions on the ground, as well as noise and air pollution for neighbouring communities. Airport operators can implement incentives for passengers and staff to use public or low-emissions transport by increasing parking fees for private cars. Revenues can be recycled to fund projects that help reduce car use and emissions, as at Heathrow Airport. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, where 47% of passengers arrive by public transport, has plans to invest in charging facilities for EVs and incentivise bicycles for employees.

In partnership with relevant authorities and stakeholders, airports can also encourage more sustainable surface access by building or improving existing multimodal infrastructure, like light rail links or buses. Airports with existing integrated rail stations can work with relevant stakeholders and authorities to increase the frequency of rail services and make this form of surface access more attractive to passengers.