The international aviation industry organization ACI has named Stockholm Arlanda Airport “ECO-Innovation Airport of the Year”. The award is motivated by Swedavia’s climate change work and leading work in operating climate-smart airports.
It is in the Airport Council International Europe (ACI Europe) annual airport ranking for special initiatives among airports in Europe that Swedavia’s climate change work is now recognized and awarded. Arlanda Airport is highlighted as “a pioneer in the development of sustainability in the industry” and a leading example of achieving fossil-free in-house operations within a short time frame, through systematic and consistent work, involving both employees and partners.
“I am of course very proud of the targeted climate work that has been carried out for many years so that Swedavia would achieve our goal of zero fossil carbon dioxide emissions in its own airport operations. We have fantastic employees who, thanks to a great commitment, a long-term and determined work, spiced with a strong drive to seek innovative solutions, managed to achieve a high sustainability goal that was set ten years earlier and which at that time seemed unattainable “, says Jonas Abrahamsson, Swedavia’s President and CEO.
It was just before the turn of the year 2020 that Swedavia, as one of the first airport operators in the world, reached the goal of becoming fossil-free in the operations run under Swedavia’s operations at Arlanda and the other nine airports. Today, Swedavia conducts extensive airport operations around Sweden, which just over ten years ago generated emissions of approximately 8,000 tonnes of fossil carbon dioxide annually, and which have thus now been reduced to zero.
The efforts to restructure Swedavia’s operations have meant, among other things, that all airports today are operated with renewable electricity and heating / cooling, the reserve power runs on renewable fuel and that Swedavia’s vehicle fleet runs on electric power or renewable fuels. As an example, Swedavia currently owns around 800 vehicles, of which almost 300 at Stockholm Arlanda Airport. Nearly half of the vehicle fleet is now electrically powered and other vehicles are powered by renewable fuels, such as HVO and biogas. In the years 2015 to 2020 alone, Swedavia has invested almost SEK 650 million in a renewed and fossil-free vehicle fleet.
In 2006, Swedavia became climate neutral and in 2011 the goal was set for Swedavia’s emissions of fossil carbon dioxide from its own operations to be reduced to zero by the end of 2020. The first airports to reach the goal were Ronneby Airport in January 2017 and Visby Airport and Luleå Airport during year 2018.
(Photo: Peter Phillips)
Credit: Simon Ericson & Flyg24Nyheter
Original article (SE): https://flyg24nyheter.com/2021/10/29/arlanda-utses-till-eco-innovation-airport-of-the-year/
