How will this role influence our work with aviation clients?
We can now provide support across an airport’s progression through the entire ACA programme, being qualified to verify applications up to Level 5. This means that we can continue to support existing clients to reach this level, as well as provide support for new entrants coming into the programme. We can also apply our detailed knowledge and understanding of the ACA programme to support our aviation clients with their own Net Zero and carbon reduction programmes.
What challenges do airports face in meeting carbon goals?
Airports in their role as transport hubs act as an interface between many different elements of the aviation sector, and as such can help encourage and facilitate cross-departmental and organisational collaboration for decarbonisation. They do however still face challenge in being able to meet their own carbon goals
A significant proportion of an airport’s environmental impact (usually between 85-90%) is associated with indirect emissions from airlines, third-party ground handlers, and as well as from the impact of passengers travelling to and from the terminal building. With no direct control over these sources, airports often have to support and influence third parties to decarbonise their operations, rely on shifts in consumer markets (particularly for passenger access), or exert commercial influence to reduce emissions.
Airport expansion (driven by continued growth of the sector) and how this can be aligned into emissions reduction targets is another challenge airports are grappling with. Not only are there impacts from additional air traffic using the site, but there are increases in operational emissions (from the operation of new facilities), associated construction emissions and embodied carbon impacts from new terminal buildings. The challenge for airports is to balance the commercial and regulatory requirements which can sometimes act contrary to their own carbon goals.
