SUSTAINABILITY

Hamad International Airport (DOH) is celebrating the UN’s World Environment Day by backing its goal to Beat Plastic Pollution. Today’s event focuses on encouraging people and businesses around the world to review their plastic consumption and introduce a shift towards a circular economy. The Qatari gateway notes that part of Hamad International Airport’s environment sustainability […]

ACI Asia-Pacific today announced the results of its Green Airports Recognition (GAR) Programme 2023, recognising 12 airports in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East for demonstrating outstanding accomplishments in their sustainability projects. During the past decades, our industry has grown exponentially and is expected to continue to do so in the years to come. As air […]

Between them, 64 airports from Asia-Pacific and the Middle East have reduced their carbon emissions by 162,623 tonnes (Scope 1 & 2), according to ACI’s Airport Carbon Accreditation Annual Report for 2021-2022. This is equivalent to the CO2 emitted during the production of close to 24 million cotton t-shirts. ACI Asia-Pacific’s director general, Stefano Baronci, […]

Brisbane Airport (BNE) has become the first Australian airport to receive Level 4 ‘Transformation’ status in ACI’s Airport Carbon Accreditation programme. The new status recognises Brisbane Airport’s long-term carbon management strategy towards absolute emissions reductions and evidence of forging meaningful partnerships to reduce the emissions of airport partners. “Given Australia’s reliance on air travel to connect […]

Hamad International Airport (DOH) has demonstrated its green credentials by successfully renewing its Level 3 ‘Optimisation’ status in ACI Airport Carbon Accreditation programme. The Qatar gateway says that the successful recertification is a reassurance that its carbon management processes and activities have effectively reduced CO2 emissions. During the recertification process, operator, MATAR, was audited by […]

Airport International Group (AIG), operator of Jordan’s Queen Alia International Airport, reports that the Amman gateway “recorded noteworthy achievements in terms of traffic growth, global connectivity, decarbonisation and customer experience” during 2022. While its traffic figures have yet to reach pre-COVID levels, Queen Alia noted improvements last year – welcoming 7.8 million passengers – 72% […]

David Whitely from FTI Consulting explains why environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues should be a top priority for the region’s airports and aviation leaders. As we see a greater focus on the role of business in confronting broader societal issues, there is now a stronger imperative for airports to develop and adopt a more […]

In spite of the global macroeconomic headwinds and geopolitical instability, the aviation industry has maintained its consistent recovery providing a positive outlook for the year ahead, according to the ACI Asia-Pacific’s Airport Industry Outlook, a quarterly assessment of the airports’ performances. The Airport Industry Outlook for Quarter 3 2022 (July to September), developed in partnership […]

Red Sea Global (RSG), the developer behind Saudi Arabia’s new Red Sea International Airport and AMAALA resort, has appointed Reem Emirates Saudi to construct the façade and roof shell of the new gateway and its landside facilities. The airport will be operated by daa International, the international subsidiary of Irish airport operator, daa, which recently […]

Airport International Group’s Rula Dawood charts Queen Alia International Airport’s pioneering decarbonisation journey in ACI’s Airport CarbonAccreditation programme. A few years after being awarded the 25-year concession to manage the rehabilitation, expansion and operation of Queen Alia International Airport in Jordan, Airport International Group (AIG) commenced the airport’s decarbonisation journey. From the outset it was […]

Christchurch Airport in New Zealand and Hamburg Airport in Germany, two airports on the opposite sides of the earth, have announced that that they will pursue their ambitious climate goals together in the future. The airports have liaised with each other for some time as each has taken a pioneering role in aviation’s decarbonisation journey […]

The Middle East, sustainability and traffic recovery are among the main focuses of ACI Asia-Pacific’s new president, Emmanuel Menanteau, writes Sunil Subbaiah. Newly appointed ACI Asia-Pacific president, Emmanuel Menanteau, is a well known face in the region, having gained substantial experience working across Asia over the last two decades. Indeed, his assignments to date have […]

ACI Asia-Pacific has welcomed the commitment by ICAO States to adopt a Long Term Aspirational Goal for civil aviation to reach net zero emission by 2050. Director general, Stefano Baronci, said: “As a voice of 127 airport members, operating 618 airports across 46 countries, ACI Asia-Pacific welcomes governments’ support to adopt the 2050 Net-Zero Carbon goal […]

On the eve of ICAO’s 41st Triennial Assembly, Airports Council International (ACI) is calling on States to adopt an ambitious environmental agreement. ACI World director general, Luis Felipe de Oliveira, said: “The adoption of an ambitious environmental agreement at the ICAO 41st Triennial Assembly fully aligned with the Paris Agreement and the aviation industry’s own […]

Australia’s Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King, has launched Australia’s first all-electric refuelling vehicle during her first official visit to Brisbane Airport (BNE). Operated by Air bp, the vehicle was developed in Australia, and is the first all-electric hazardous goods vehicle and refueller approved for use in this country. “Its […]

Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) has welcomed today’s release of the Trax International report commissioned by Airservices Australia. “Brisbane Airport wants to minimise the impact on our neighbouring communities. We welcome this independent report and look forward to working with all partners including airlines to reduce noise for residents,” said BAC CEO, Gert-Jan de Graaff. BAC […]

Carlos Kaduoka, SITA’s head of business strategy for airports, considers how new technology will play a key role in helping airports respond to the demands for a greener industry. The travel recovery is well underway. As the summer travel season approaches, airlines and airports have been caught off guard by the speed of recovery. Airports […]

ACI is calling for the upcoming ICAO meeting in Montréal to reach an agreement on a long-term aspirational goal for CO2 emissions reductions, aligned with the Paris Agreement 1.5°C goal and the industry objective of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The meeting, due to take place at ICAO’s headquarters next week, will examine the […]

ACI Asia-Pacific has called for flexible regulatory policies, innovative procedures, greater efficiency and a better passenger experience as part of its long-term approach to help airports make a sustainable recovery. At the ICAO’s 57th Conference of Directors General of Civil Aviation for Asia and Pacific Regions in Incheon, South Korea, ACI Asia-Pacific made a number […]

Christchurch Airport has never lost sight of its sustainability goals and is now arguably the greenest gateway on the planet, writes Joe Bates. Christchurch Airport has set a new sustainability milestone by going beyond being carbon neutral and becoming climate positive. Its general manager for planning and sustainability, Nick Flack, believes the move is an […]

Air Transport Action Group’s executive director, Haldane Dodd, today urged Asia-Pacific’s governments to work together with colleagues from around the world to adopt a long-term climate goal at the upcoming International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Assembly. Dodd, outlining the importance of coming to an agreement at the United Nations level on a long-term climate goal […]

Asia-Pacific and the Middle East aviation industry is experiencing green shoots of recovery, according to the first edition of the Airport Industry Outlook, a quarterly report by Airports Council International Asia-Pacific (ACI APAC). The report, developed in partnership with Mott MacDonald — a global engineering, management and development consultancy— provides a snapshot of how airports […]

Airport Authority Hong Kong is determined to take the lead in integrating carbon management, sustainable best practices and green design across the airport campus, writes general manager for sustainability, Peter Lee. Climate change has become one of the most pressing global issues in recent years and there has been increasing public concern over the aviation […]

Asia-Pacific Airports magazine takes a closer look at a handful of the sustainability stories making headlines across the region in early 2022. QUEEN ALIA DEMONSTRATES GREEN CREDENTIALS Despite another challenging year for the global air travel industry, Jordan’s Queen Alia International Airport (AMM) says that it marked a number of significant milestones in 2021, one […]

Sho Kataoka, manager of NAA’s Airport Sustainability Office, explains why Tokyo Narita has introduced an even more focused and ambitious sustainability plan. The global COVID-19 pandemic has led to extremely tough times for Narita International Airport, with significant suspension and reduction of passenger flights due to travel restrictions for the last two years.  In addition, the […]

Being one of the world’s most environment friendly and sustainable gateways is a top priority for Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, writes CEO, Videh Kumar Jaipuriar. Airports have always been in the spotlight when it comes to their impact on the environment and the steps taken by them to operate in a sustainable manner, and […]

ACI Asia-Pacific and the Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA) are urging governments and policymakers to enact a simpler, harmonised approach for travel health checks and regulations to encourage passenger confidence to fly again as borders progressively reopen. The warning comes as both organisations fear that Asia-Pacific’s air travel industry is losing its competitiveness and […]

Bahrain International Airport (BIA) showed its commitment to environmental sustainability yesterday as it celebrated this year’s Earth Hour by dimming or switching off all non-essential lights across the gateway. Earth Hour is an annual worldwide movement organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Mohamed Yousif Al Binfalah, CEO of Bahrain Airport Company (BAC), […]

Global airport operators Groupe ADP and GMR Airports today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus, Axens and Safranto to conduct a joint study on Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) and their potential in India. The objective of the study, conducted under the lead and co-ordination of Groupe ADP and GMR Airports, is to understand […]

Shell announced today that it has become the first supplier of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to customers at Singapore Changi. It notes that it has also completed the upgrading of its facility in Singapore which will enable blending of SAF in Singapore. The company believes that its announcement represents a significant milestone for the aviation […]

Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) today unveiled the target and strategy to achieve Net Zero Carbon by 2050 at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), with a midpoint target of 55% reduction of absolute emissions by 2035 from a 2018 baseline. Fred Lam, CEO of AAHK, said: “Sustainability is at the centre of our long-term development […]

Christchurch Airport is committing 400 hectares of its Harewood campus to Kōwhai Park – a new platform for generating renewable energy at scale to enable businesses to transition away from fossil fuels. The pioneering project was launched with New Zealand’s Energy Minister, Megan Woods; Climate Change Minister, James Shaw; and Christchurch mayor, Lianne Dalziel, planting […]

ACI Asia-Pacific today urged more governments to reopen borders and relax quarantine requirements especially in countries which have reached satisfactory vaccination rates, to prevent repeat of a dismal year for Asia-Pacific and Middle East airports. This follows the release of latest figures forecasting sustained losses in 2021 for airports in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. […]

It might not seem like a priority right now, but ACI World has revealed that more than $2.4 trillion will have to be spent on enhancing the infrastructure of the world’s airports by 2040 in order to meet future demand. The size of the task ahead – which will include modernising existing facilities as well […]

Perth Airport has achieved an overall score of 98% in annual analysis by the Global ESG Benchmark for Real Assets (GRESB). GRESB is an international process that rates the environmental, social and governance performance of major infrastructure assets. Perth Airport CEO, Kevin Brown, said that the 98% score was an outstanding improvement over the 76% […]

Brisbane Airport operator, Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC), today issued the following statement in response to the announcement of a roadmap to easing travel restrictions in Queensland. The statement, in full, reads: “We’re pleased to see a roadmap to the reopening of Queensland. However, there are elements of it that are of great concern in relation […]

Vancouver International Airport (YVR) has unveiled its roadmap to net zero carbon emissions, which it claims balances innovative approaches with practical actions that will see the gateway’s operations become net zero by 2030. Earlier this year, YVR was the first airport in Canada to commit to net zero emissions by 2030, accelerating its original climate commitment by […]

Royal Dutch Shell plc has announced its ambition to produce around two million tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) a year by 2025. It also aims to have at least 10% of its global aviation fuel sales as SAF by 2030. “Currently, sustainable aviation fuel accounts for less than 0.1% of the world’s use of […]

Dubai Airports has for the first time collaborated with the UAE’s Federal Youth Authority (FYA) to create the Dubai Airports Youth Council. Aligned with other top UAE government entities, the DA Youth Council was developed with the vision of the UAE’s leaders in mind and is the latest example of the airport’s commitment to developing […]

Queenstown Airport Corporation (QAC) has admitted that implementing a plan to “stabilise the business in the complex and uncertain operating environment created by COVID-19″ was top of the agenda during its last financial year, ending June 30. Reflecting on the impact of COVID-19 on the business and the region, QAC Board chair, Adrienne Young-Cooper, noted […]

The New Zealand Airports Association (NZ Airports) has welcomed the confirmation of a wide-ranging review which will encompass the funding needs of smaller airports. The announcement, made by Transport Minister, Michael Wood, includes a review of the country’s air navigation system, which will involve looking at the form and functions of Airways NZ, the national […]

A new study by ACI World shows that Asia-Pacific and Middle East airports will have to develop new greenfield airports and invest in modernising and expanding their existing airport infrastructure to meed demand over the next 20 years. According to The Global Outlook of Airport Capital Expenditure,at least $1.3 trillion needs to be invested on […]

Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl) is making a bid to increase Hong Kong’s involvement in the movement of aero engines through the establishment of a new Aero Engine Handling Centre at Homng Kong International Airport. Hong Kong is one of only two locations in Asia which have certified repair, modification and overhaul facilities […]

ACI Asia-Pacific welcomes the announcement that ACI World and the five ACI regions – in collaboration with members – have created a long-term carbon goal for their member airports. The announcement simply says: “ACI member airports at a global level commit to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and urge governments to provide the […]

Cargo volumes at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) are rising, although passenger numbers continue to struggle, based on the gateway’s April traffic statistics, released today by Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK). The latest totals show that the airport handled 389,000 tonnes of cargo (+15.5%) in April, and while both its passenger numbers and air traffic […]

Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, visited Newcastle Airport today to announce the much-anticipated funding for a significant upgrade to the airfield that Newcastle Airport accesses from RAAF Base Williamtown. The upgrade works, which will commence this year in conjunction with the RAAF’s scheduled runway maintenance programme, will see the runway upgraded to Code E status, […]

Qatar’s Hamad International Airport continues to be recognised for its sustainability efforts, this week having its Asset Management System (AMS) ISO 55001:2014 certification from the British Standards Institution (BSI) renewed for another three years. The Doha gateway believes that the recertification endorses its approach to delivering efficient and effective asset management across the airport’s infrastructure. […]

Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) has given the green light to Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre (HKBAC) to expand its business aircraft facilities at Hong Kong International Airport. The airport operator is confident that the HK$400 million project will “further enhance the competitiveness of Hong Kong as an international aviation hub” and supports “Hong Kong’s […]

Abu Dhabi International Airport has opened a rapid testing lab for COVID-19 in a bid to facilitate the resumption of air travel and assist with quarantine tracking procedures. The new facility, opened by Abu Dhabi Airports in partnership with Pure Health and Tamouh Healthcare, is believed to be the region’s first PCR testing laboratory within […]

Asia-Pacific Airports takes a closer look at the development of a solar energy farm at Melbourne Airport. A new 10 MW solar energy farm is taking shape at Melbourne Airport, which is set to produce enough clean energy to provide power to all four passenger terminals. The renewable solar farm will generate 16.8 GWh of […]

The world’s biggest airport group comprising gateways operated by France’s Groupe ADP and Turkey’s TAV Airports have signed the ‘Airports for Trust’ charter, announcing their shared ambition to build an even more sustainable and responsible airport industry. The airports span the world and range from hubs like Paris CDG in Europe to Queen Alia in […]

Christchurch Airport has become the first airport in the the world to reach Level 4 Transformation status in ACI’s Airport Carbon Accreditation programme. The New Zealand gateway believes that the high achievement is evidence of its continued efforts to align its carbon management strategy with the global climate goals. It also follows ACI’s recent announcement […]

The Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association’s call for governments to implement standardised COVID-19 testing on passengers is beginning gain some traction, with 10 states across the region responding “positively” to the campaign. Across the aviation, travel and tourism industries, a wide range of stakeholders are increasingly aligned in calling for increased testing as a key […]

The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) today revealed that its preliminary traffic figures for September show that “both international passenger and cargo demand is at markedly depressed levels, with no sign of recovery in sight”. The 1.1 million international passengers that flew on Asia-Pacific airlines in September, was just 3.6% of the 30 million […]

Hamad International Airport has become the first gateway in the world to achieve independent verification from BSI (British Standards Institution) for its implementation of ICAO’s COVID-19 Aviation Health Safety Protocols. The verification for Hamad International Airport (HIA) was conducted following its successful audit for compliance of measures outlined by the ICAO Council Aviation Recovery Taskforce […]

The Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA) has launched a campaign to over 45 individual governments across the region with a proposal for regional alignment on quarantine rules and testing on arrival and departure at airports, in a move that would safeguard public health and promote industry recovery. Reflecting the views of many of its […]

Operator, GHIAL, has announced that Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport has achieved Airport Health Accreditation (AHA). The accreditation recognises the airport’s efforts to make it a safe environment for passengers and staff in line with ACI’s Aviation Business Restart and Recovery guidelines and ICAO Council Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART) Recommendations along with industry best […]

Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) has successfully renewed and extended its Level 3+ ‘Neutrality’ status in ACI’s Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) programme. As the sole airport to have attained the ACA Level 3+ ‘Neutrality’ in the region, QAIA insists that it continuously deploys best environmental practices and periodically updates its energy conservation procedures. Actions, it […]

Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) today announced that its relief package for the airport community will extend for another two months to end of October 2020 in view of the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The coronavirus pandemic and continuing political unrest in Hong Kong has had a huge impact on traffic at Hong […]

The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) is urging governments to ease what it claims are “unduly onerous restrictions on international air travel” to re-establish global connectivity with evidence-based measures to safeguard public health. More than six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the Asia Pacific air transport industry notes that it is taking initial steps […]

Director general, Stefano Baronci, reflects on the impact of COVID-19, ACI Asia-Pacific’s recent virtual Regional Board meeting and Assembly, new Strategic Plan and a host of other issues. From a period of sustained passenger traffic growth in 2019 to the halfway point of 2020, the industry is now in survival mode, crippled by the loss […]

Airports across the world are actively working to reduce their noise footprint and engaging with their communities to create environmental capacity, writes Envirosuite’s senior aviation specialist, Matt Mills-Brooks. There are two types of constraints on airport growth, physical capacity, which relates to the limits imposed by the runway, terminal, security or in the case of […]

Vivek Sindhamani and Peter Vorage discuss the growing threat of flooding to airports and how some of the region’s major hubs are planning ahead to increase their resilience to rising water levels. During the past five years, over twenty major, and many more small-island airports, have flooded due to extreme rainfall events or storm surges […]

Brisbane Airport (BNE) and construction partner Skyway are today celebrating the practical completion of the gateway’s new runway. Airport CEO, Gert-Jan de Graaff, recognised the milestone event, but noted that while today marked the end of the project, its was just the beginning for BNE and operator, Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC). “In many respects this […]

Leonie Dobbie, aviation consultancy company WSP’s strategic aviation advisor, considers the benefits of embedding sustainability action into airport decision-making. From the 1991 Earth Summit in Rio to the 2015 Paris Agreement, policymakers have attempted 
to come to grips with the science and political-economic implications of climate change. Achieving the Paris Agreement goals requires that we […]

Across Asia-Pacific, airports are responding to increased passenger numbers and environmental pressures with innovative, efficient and sustainable terminal designs, writes Benoy Singapore director, Terence Seah. Asia-Pacific (APAC) is one of the fastest-growing aviation markets in the world, with passenger numbers more than quadrupling over the last 15 years and both ACI and IATA forecasting that the […]

ACI Asia-Pacific believes that passenger numbers across the region have hit “rock bottom” based on new traffic figures that show a 95% decrease in throughput at 18 of the region’s busiest airports. The year-on-year traffic figures are for airports in the major aviation markets of Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. According to ACI Asia-Pacific, initial […]

The Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA) is urging governments across the region to prioritise support packages for the travel retail industry to help many operators survive the coronavirus crisis. APTRA is writing to government policymakers responsible for determining Covid-19 fiscal relief and funding across ministerial offices including aviation, maritime, retail, F&B and tourism industries. […]

Karl Lyndon, global aviation sector leader at integrated engineering consultancy, BuroHappold, explores the growing focus on greening airport terminal buildings. The aviation sector has been attracting a lot of attention recently – and not all of it for the right reasons. The new trend of ‘flight shaming’ in a bid to discourage air travel and […]

Improving surface access is a commercial and environmental challenge facing airports across the globe, write ICF’s Angus Reid-Kay and Rob Rushmer. To focus on airlines and the development of an airport’s route network would provide only a partial view of a gateway’s connectivity. This is because surface access matters, and failure to meet demand on […]

Joe Bates reports on some of the highlights and lessons learned from October’s Global Sustainable Aviation Summit in Geneva. Aviation’s commitment to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and biofuels, which are expected to account for 25% of all jet fuel by 2050, were just a few of the topics discussed during the recent […]

Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport has achieved carbon neutral status (Level 3+) in ACI’s Airport Carbon Accreditation programme. It is the second gateway in the region to achieve the lofty status after Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. SGK Kishore, CEO of GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), says his gateway’s significant achievement is the result of the […]

Brisbane Airport Corporation’s environment and sustainability manager, Wendy Weir, reflects on its efforts to ensure that it operates a culturally aware gateway. Regardless of how experienced the traveller is or how many air miles they’ve got in the bank, navigating your way around an unfamiliar airport is a stressful experience.  Alleviating passenger stress is a […]

Chris Crampton, chairman of the UK and Ireland Chapter of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), considers the importance of cultural awareness in the Asia-Pacific region. Beyond a basic desire for a beach, travel is a way of broadening the mind and having new experiences. The more we travel, the more we see and, perhaps most […]

Asia-Pacific Airports finds out more about the pioneering environmental efforts of Brisbane, Delhi–Indira Gandhi, Hong Kong and Sydney airports. Brisbane Airport has issued its first ever sustainabilty report demonstrating how it addresses its responsibilities to customers, partners, shareholders and community in a sustainable manner without adverse environmental or community impacts. The FY16 Sustainability Report, developed under the Global Reporting Initiative […]

Brüel & Kjær’s Mike Rikard-Bell discusses how technology is helping keep residents informed of aviation’s noise mitigation efforts and dispel the misconception that ‘annoyance’ is simply about exposure. It’s over 25 years since Canadian mining executive, Jim Cooney, coined the phrase “Social Licence to Operate” that has become a rallying cry for progressive businesses, nowhere more so than […]

I Prabhakara Rao, CEO of Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, talks to Joe Bates about the impact of Terminal 3, customer service and the importance of being environmentally friendly. In many ways Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport hasn’t looked back since the 2010 opening of its award-winning Terminal 3. Indeed, the airport has enjoyed the […]

ACI World’s senior manager environment, Xavier Oh, reflects on ten years of environmental stewardship in the Asia-Pacific region.  ACI’s Asia and Pacific regions merged to form the largest and fastest growing region shortly after I joined ACI in Montréal ten years ago.   At that time, there were a couple of airports active on the […]