Level 5 accredited airports are also required to commit to achieve NetZero carbon across all the three scopes by 2050, says ACI Europe
Airports Council International Europe (ACI Europe), which is the leading association of airport operators in Europe, has announced significant advancements in the European airport industry’s commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions.
In a press statement, ACI Europe says that so far, 303 airports have disclosed roadmaps towards NetZero by 2050, translating their commitment into concrete action. These airports facilitate 80 pc of European air passenger traffic, confirming that a vast majority of Europe’s airports are working towards this shared objective, it adds.
According to ACI Europe, 118 of these airports have set even more ambitious targets, aiming to achieve net zero by 2030 or earlier.
The statement adds that first adopted in 2019, the ACI Europe Resolution for NetZero is reviewed each year, welcoming more airports on board with more ambitious targets, as well as including new stringent requirements to engagement. Last year, the resolution was further strengthened by requiring committed airports to publish, within one year, their own roadmap outlining their plans to achieve net zero emissions under their control.
The airport operators’ organisation says that this requirement was aimed at aligning with the 2022 UN Guidance on net zero pledges, which recommends that NetZero commitments from non-State entities should be backed by publicly disclosed and actionable net zero plans. As a result, the publicly available repository on the ACI Europe website features over 80 roadmaps covering 303 airports in 36 countries, ensuring transparency and accountability in the industry’s progress towards its net zero goals.
The body goes on to say that concerted climate efforts by the airport industry have been consistently yielding positive results, as evidenced by the growing participation and annual emissions reductions achieved through the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme. To date, 290 European airports have been certified for carbon management within Airport Carbon Accreditation, with 47 airports achieving levels of certification fully aligned with the Paris Agreement.
These airports have collectively saved over 500,000 tonnes of CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere in the most recent reporting period of the programme, from May 2022 to May 2023. Building on a trajectory of continuous evolution and stepping up airport industry’s climate ambitions, ACI moved to introduce a new level of accreditation in December 2023, or Level 55. The organisation adds that in a global- and industry-first, this new level established a decarbonisation blueprint, certifying airports for reaching and maintaining a NetZero carbon balance for emissions under their control (Scope 1 and 2), and extending mapping, influencing and reporting requirements for all other emissions (Scope 3).
Level 5 accredited airports are also required to commit to achieving NetZero carbon across all three scopes by 2050. As of now, 13 airports in Europe hold this milestone accreditation, it says. The statement adds that through the updated resolution, ACI Europe and its member airports reaffirm their steadfast commitment to a NetZero aviation and issue a message of support for the European Commission’s vision of a climate-neutral Europe by 2050 and the EU Green Deal.
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