Airport profiles: Abu Dhabi & Sacramento Special report: Airports Innovate Review
Plus: ACI news; People Matters; and World Business Partners Extra
IN THE SPOTLIGHT:
SUSTAINABILITY Volume 28 – Issue 6, 2023 aci.aero
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OPINION
Airport World Editor Joe Bates +44 (0)1276 476582 joe@airport-world.com Sales Directors Jonathan Lee +44 (0)208 707 2743 jonathan@airport-world.com Jon Sissons +44 (0)208 707 2743 jon.sissons@airport-world.com Advertising Manager Andrew Hazell +44 (0)208 384 0206 andrewh@airport-world.com Design, Layout & Production Mark Draper +44 (0)208 707 2743 mark@airport-world.com Subscriptions subscriptions@aviationmedia.aero Managing Director Jonathan Lee +44 (0)208 707 2743 jonathan@aviationmedia.aero
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Airport World is published six times a year for the members of ACI World. The opinions and views expressed in Airport World are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect an ACI World policy or position. ISSN: 1360-4341
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The heat is on!
Editor, Joe Bates, reflects on aviation’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint in this ‘sustainability’ themed issue of Airport World.
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he global headlines being made by aviation’s commitment to reduce its carbon footprint, the launch of Level 5 accreditation in ACI’s Airports Carbon Accreditation programme, and the COP28 agreement for the world to transition away from fossil fuels, show that we couldn’t have timed the ‘sustainability’ theme of this issue better! At the the third Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels (CAAF/3) hosted by ICAO in late November, the aviation sector and over 100 states agreed a global framework to promote sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production in all geographies for fuels used in international aviation to be 5% less carbon intensive by 2030. A few days later at COP28, ACI launched the new top level in its Airport Carbon Accreditation programme. Level 5 builds on the trajectory of evolution set by the introduction of Levels 4 and 4+ in 2020. Amsterdam Schiphol, Christchurch, Göteborg Landvetter, Madeira, Malmö and Rotterdam The Hague airports are among the first 10 airports on the planet to reach the new highest certification level in the programme designed to reduce aviation’s carbon footprint. There is simply no disputing that climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing the world today, and as a result the pressure is on airports like never before to be seen to be green and operate in a sustainable manner. This, in effect, means actively working to reduce their impact on the environment to ensure their licence to operate. The aviation industry’s commitment to Net Zero 2050, the participation of 558 airports from 91 countries in ACI’s Airport Carbon Accreditation programme, and the general willingness to embrace new clean energy sources, recycle all waste and introduce alternative fuelled vehicles, however, demonstrate that airports are up for the challenge.
Indeed, airports have increasingly become sustainability leaders in recent years, which is remarkable, really, considering that 'the environment' didn't appear to be high on aviation's agenda – or indeed any government's agenda – back in the early 1980s when I first started writing about airports. We talk about some of the ways airports have become sustainability pioneers and some of the key challenges faced by the industry in this ‘sustainability’ themed final 2023 issue of Airport World. As you would expect, the themed section provides an update about the progress and development of the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme as well as a host of features about the Net Zero 2050 target and how it can be achieved. We also consider some of the key issues airports should take into account when planning the electrification of ground support vehicles; report on the release of a Green Transition Toolkit for airports; and round-up the latest sustainability stories from around the world. Elsewhere in the issue, our main airport features are on ambitious Sacramento International Airport in the US and Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) in the UAE, which recenty opened its spectacular new Terminal A. We provide a comprehensive review of the inaugural Airports Innovate conference in Muscat, which showcased the many faces of innovation going on at airports across the globe. Providing a view from top, we hear from ACI World director general, Luis Felipe de Oliveira, on recent advocacy wins that have global implications for airports. We also reflect on why sustainabilty matters to staff in our regular ‘people matters’ column; and report on the Q4 news from ACI's World Business Partners (WBP). I hope you enjoy our final issue of 2023 and look forward to seeing you at an airport or industry event, somewhere in the world, AW in 2024.
AIRPORT WORLD/ISSUE 6, 2023
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CONTENTS CONTENTS
ISSUE 6 Volume 28
In this issue 3 Opinion
Photovoltaic panels at Frankfurt Airport.
Editor, Joe Bates, reflects on aviation’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint in this ‘sustainability’ themed issue of Airport World.
9 View from the top
ACI World director general, Luis Felipe de Oliveira, considers the sustainability efforts led by airports.
10 ACI News
We report on the release of the newest edition of ACI World’s ASQ 2023 Global Traveller Survey, ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East’s commitment to the sustainable growth of aviation, and ACI EUROPE’s defence of airport charges.
12 Planning for growth
Sacramento International Airport’s $1.3 billion expansion programme will take the Californian gateway to new heights, writes Arthur Shurr.
16 Ready to write the next chapter
The opening of Abu Dhabi International Airport’s eagerly awaited Terminal A is expected to signal the dawn of an exciting new era for the UAE gateway, writes Joe Bates.
18 Highlighting innovation
The inaugural Airports Innovate conference in Oman proved to be an event to remember for the 500 delegates in attendance, writes Joe Bates.
24 Bigger and better
The growth and development of ACI’s Airport Carbon Accreditation programme was one of the sustainable aviation highlights of 2023, writes WSP’s Dr Catherine Wilson.
AIRPORT WORLD/ISSUE 6, 2023
5
CONTENTS
Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira (Montreal, Canada) Chair Aimen Al Hosni (Muscat, Oman) Vice Chair Candace McGraw (Cincinnati, USA) Immediate Past Chair Martin Eurnekián (Buenos Aires, Argentina) Treasurer Arnaud Feist (Brussels, Belgium) ACI WORLD GOVERNING BOARD DIRECTORS Africa (3) Emanuel Chaves (Maputo, Mozambique) Fabrice Grondin (Saint-Denis, Réunion) Mpumi Mpofu (Johannesburg, South Africa)
26 Three steps to net zero
Focusing on three key issues will help the aviation industry reduce carbon emissions, writes Landrum & Brown's sustainable airport specialist, Sara Christen.
29 Financing the green transition
Jennifer Desharnais, ACI World’s director of sustainability and environmental protection, explains more about the Airports of Tomorrow initative together with the World Economic Forum and new Green Transition Toolkit.
30 Navigating the future
ICF’s Eliot Lees and Chris Watson consider some of the key issues airports should take into account when planning for the electrification of their fleet of ground support vehicles and equipment.
32 Sustainability 2.0
RS&H’s Ben Moore and Nathan Stinnette discuss the importance of sustainability management plans and getting sustainability programmes to take-off at US airports.
34 Destination net zero
SNC-Lavalin and Engineering Net Zero director, Isabelle Smith, shares insight on the challenges ahead and explains why data-driven decisions will be fundamental in achieving the industry’s green ambitions.
36 Green mission
Airport World takes a closer look at some of the sustainability stories making headlines across globe in the final quarter of the year.
38 World Business Partners News
Announcements, news stories and opinions from ACI World Business Partners across the globe.
42 People matters
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Richard Plenty and Terri Morrissey reflect on the human factor in sustainability.
AIRPORT WORLD/ISSUE 6, 2023
Asia-Pacific & Middle East (9) Aimen Al-Hosni (Muscat, Oman) Mohamed Yousif Al-Binfalah (Bahrain) Geoff Culbert (Sydney, Australia) SGK Kishore (Hyderabad, India) Seow Hiang Lee (Singapore) Emmanuel Menanteau (Paris, France) Akihiko Tamura (Tokyo, Japan) 2 Vacancies Europe (7) Armando Brunini (Milan, Italy) Arnaud Feist (Brussels, Belgium) Jost Lammers (Munich, Germany) Yiannis Paraschis (Athens, Greece) Kadri Samsunlu (Istanbul, Turkey) Stefan Schulte (Frankfurt, Germany) Nazareno Ventola (Bologna, Italy) Latin America & Caribbean (3) Ezequiel Barrenechea (Guayaquil, Ecuador) Mónika Infante (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) Juan José Salmón (Lima, Peru) North America (6) Kevin Dolliole (New Orleans, USA) Deborah Flint (Toronto, Canada) Joseph Lopano (Tampa, USA) Candace McGraw (Cincinnati, USA) Sam Samaddar (Kelowna, Canada) Roelof-Jan Steenstra (Toronto, Canada) Regional Advisers to the World Governing Board (10) Lew Bleiweis (Asheville, USA) David Ciceo (Cluj-Napoca, Romania) Fred Lam (Hong Kong) Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad Abdul Majid (Delhi, India) Mohamed Saeed Mahrous (Cairo, Egypt) Javier Marin (Madrid, Spain) Kabir Yusuf Mohammed (Lagos, Nigeria) Andrew O’Brian (Washington DC, USA) Jorge Rosillo (Galapagos, Ecuador) Brian Ryks (Minneapolis-St Paul, USA) WBP Observer Esperanza Morales Martin (Global Exchange) Correct as of December 2023
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View from the top
ACI VIEWPOINT
ACI World director general, Luis Felipe de Oliveira, considers the sustainability efforts led by airports.
T
his edition of Airport World focuses on the sustainability of airports and the wider aviation system – a topic that perhaps has never been as timely as today. As global demand for air travel rises, the industry has the ambitious task of managing growth and environmental responsibility agendas simultaneously to ensure that the industry’s positive social and economic benefits flourish. As many might be aware, aviation supports 87.7 million jobs worldwide, contributes $3.5 trillion to global GDP, and supports many of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals. Airports continue to be at the forefront of environmental stewardship. In June 2021, ACI and our airport members were the first sector in aviation to commit to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 in June 2021, a goal that was followed by the entire aviation industry in October 2021, and joined by governments at the 41st Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in October 2022. As this edition reflects, airports’ commitment to a greener future is supported by action. Airports and their stakeholders around the world are working towards cleaner energy sources for aviation, integrating advanced technologies, reducing their carbon emissions, and navigating the complex landscapes of ESG reporting, amongst many other initiatives. ACI World, as the voice of the world’s airports, is here to facilitate airports’ transition by representing our members’ interests on the global stage and I’m pleased to report on key advancements in this regard. At the end of November, ICAO held the third Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels (CAAF/3), which brings together high-level officials from States who have the authority to make policy-related decisions, as well as international organisations with direct involvement in aviation cleaner energy, that are invited to participate as Observers. During the five-day event, ACI, representing the airport industry, had expressed its support for the aviation sector transition away from fossil fuels. ACI had pressed for an ambitious quantified goal for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) deployment for 2030, with a view that a 5% reduction in the carbon intensity goal should be considered a necessary starting point. ACI had also asked that States agree on a supportive global framework to enable implementation of the goal and to provide the necessary assistance to developed and developing countries. These measures can de-risk investment and ensure policy certainty, while enabling all States to participate both in the production and use of SAF on a non-discriminatory basis. We were encouraged with the outcomes of our efforts that have massive implications for the sustainability of the industry; on November 24, governments from over 100 States, meeting with industry and civil society, set a goal that aviation fuel in 2030 should be 5% less carbon intensive than the fossil fuel which makes up nearly all of today’s aviation energy.
A few days after CAAF/3, the world came together at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) where ACI participated, most notably at the Global Sustainable Aviation Forum, organised by the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) that reunites key speakers from across the aviation sector. At this event, ACI World led discussions on no country being left behind in the transition to cleaner energy sources, the critical role of clean hydrogen as an alternative propulsion source, and the need to incentivise related airport infrastructure development. ATAG's members, of which ACI is one, share a vision of ensuring air transport can continue to connect the world and support economic and social development in the decades to come, while respecting the commitment to climate action underlined by the Paris Agreement. As ATAG has stated, “Three things are needed to make the aviation energy transition happen: government policy to support supply and create certainty for demand; financing of the potentially $1.5 trillion in infrastructure capital needed to supply SAF at the scale required; and a serious effort by the traditional energy sector to shift their products from fossil to sustainable fuels.” Likewise, ACI continues to call on governments to ensure that policies and regulatory frameworks are adapted to airports’ specific circumstances, to support the global electrical grid transition to net zero carbon, and to incentivise infrastructure development with appropriate financial mechanisms. We firmly believe in aviation as a force for good, and in our ability to deliver the long-term goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. A greener future is possible, but the global challenge of climate changes requires a global response; government support, and increased collaboration across sectors. AW
AIRPORT WORLD/ISSUE 6, 2023
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RUNNING ACI NEWS HEAD
World in motion
We report on the release of the newest edition of ACI World’s ASQ 2023 Global Traveller Survey, ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East’s commitment to the sustainable growth of aviation, and ACI EUROPE’s defence of airport charges.
ACI World news: Global Traveller Survey
Unveiled at the Airports Innovate Conference conference in Oman, the latest edition of the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Global Traveller Survey – based on feedback from over 4,000 travellers from 30 countries which have flown by air at least once in the last 12 months – reveals a positive intention to travel despite the challenging global economy. The GTS provides key insights into the evolution of traveller behaviours and expectations and contributes to the advancement of airport experience excellence by exploring current and emerging travel trends, as well as monitoring the potential impact of external events on the air travel industry. Main findings of ASQ 2023 Global Traveller Survey include: • Globally, 54% of respondents travelling for leisure and personal reasons reported that economic and geopolitical events have influenced their travel plans in the past year. • While travellers report a high perceived impact of the economic situation on their travel habits, little evidence is found on the impact of the economy on their actual travel behaviours in the past 12 months or on their forecasted behaviours for the next 12 months. • Indeed, people have never been more eager to travel with 56% of respondents planning to travel within the next three months, compared to 51% during the same time last year. ACI World director general, Luis Felipe de Oliveira, said: “This year's ASQ 2023 Global Traveller Survey report shifts focus from the immediate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to gain a broader understanding of travel trends affecting current and future traveller behaviours and expectations. “The findings show that while travellers report a high perceived impact of the economic situation on their travel habits,
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AIRPORT WORLD/ISSUE 6, 2023
they have never been more eager to travel. While the global economy continues to face uncertainty, the air travel industry is moving in the right direction with passengers firmly at the heart of airports’ strategies.” Top consumer trends influencing traveller behaviours and preferences include: • Automation: 58% of travellers favour technological and automated approaches to enhance their travel experience. However, there is still a preference for human interactions in crucial steps such as security control and immigration processes. • Personalisation of travel experience: 74% of travellers would use an app that pushes personalised information to make their journey more fluid. • Emotional engagement: passengers expect the airport experience to be lifted above the historic standard of the airport journey, particularly as they seek stronger emotional engagement with the airport. • Remote and hybrid work: the rise of remote work has led to a blending of business and leisure travel, with 59% of respondents combining more than one reason for travel in the same trip. • Sustainability: 72% of travellers expect to see a green environment at airports and 43% of respondents have heard of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF). Completion of the GTS report was made possible through the support of IDEMIA as the Platinum Advisory Partner; KONE, Plaza Premium Group, and NACO as Premium Sponsors; and Boingo as a Standard Sponsor.
RUNNING ACI NEWS HEAD
Sustainability remains a top priority for ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East
ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East (ACI APAC & MID) reaffirmed its commitment to the sustainable growth and development of the airport industry at the ICAO 58th Conference of Director Generals of Civil Aviation, Asia and Pacific Regions, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. ACI APAC & MID called for the promotion of sustainable airport infrastructure; diversity, equity and inclusion of the airport workforce, an outcome-based regulatory regime to facilitate the adoption of innovative technologies in aviation security, integration of advanced air mobility into the air transport system, and restoration as well as the development of air connectivity. Stefano Baronci, director general of ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East, said: “ACI APAC & MID remains committed to promoting the
aviation industry's sustainability, gender equality, and technological advancements, and calls for continued collaboration with industry stakeholders and regulators to achieve these goals. “These will be the key pillars for the development of our industry as we emerge from the shadows of COVID-19 pandemic. Strengthening these pillars will go a long way in making our industry more efficient and sustainable besides augmenting the contributions to the global economy.” The 58th Conference of Director Generals of Civil Aviation, Asia and Pacific Regions, in Dhaka provided a platform for discussions, co-operation, and key initiatives aimed at advancing aviation standards, sustainability and gender equality in the Asia Pacific region.
ACI EUROPE sets record straight about airport charges in Europe
ACI EUROPE has rebutted claims made by IATA that the increase in air fares in Europe is well below inflation while airport charges would have increased much above it. While IATA states that air fares in Europe only increased by +16% as of June this year compared to 2019, independent and authoritative data from RDC shows the increase actually standing at +38% over the peak Summer months (Q3) – nearly two times the increase in the average consumer prices index (+20.8%). October confirmed this trend with air fares even increasing further at +47% when booked 3 months in advance. IATA’s assertion that airport charges have been continuously increasing above inflation also does not stand scrutiny – as it relies on flawed data from just two airports. In fact, says ACI EUROPE, airport charges in Europe this year have increased by +13.6%, far below inflationary pressures hitting airports, let alone air fares. ACI EUROPE's director general, Olivier Jankovec, said: “Confronted with inaccurate and misleading data, it is crucial to set the record straight about how air fares and airport charges have actually evolved. “Not only have airlines been able to reflect inflationary pressures in what they charge consumers, but they have been able to exert significant pricing power thanks to supply pressures and capacity discipline. Good for them! Conversely, many airports have yet to fully reflect inflationary pressures in their user charges, with regulators
often oblivious of these pressures and of how debt accumulated through COVID is hurting their investment capabilities.” Beyond that, ACI EUROPE states that it is puzzling to hear IATA asserting that the recovery of the European aviation market is bringing even more competitive conditions, with more airlines and more routes to choose from, as the reality is that air connectivity has recovered at a slower pace than passenger volumes. As of June, air connectivity from European airports remained -17% below pre-pandemic (2019) levels, while passenger traffic was at -5.9%. Jankovec commented: “This means that in addition to paying much inflated air fares, consumers tended to have fewer options to choose from. I am sure this is something many Europeans reckon with and have experienced first-hand this summer. “The market has structurally changed through the pandemic and the recovery, and it is crucial that policy makers and regulators now see though these changes and what lies ahead. “In particular, the acceleration of airline consolidation coupled with airports reaching capacity limits will challenge our Single European aviation market and air connectivity developments. This is where economic regulators should step back, as the dominance of airlines today makes intrusive price regulation of airports obsolete. This is also where the 30-year-old EU regulation on airport slots requires urgent review.”
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AIRPORT REPORT: SACRAMENTO
Planning for growth Sacramento International Airport’s $1.3 billion expansion programme will take the Californian gateway to new heights, writes Arthur Shurr.
T
he 19th century California Gold Rush transformed Sacramento into a major commercial centre, a vital distribution locus, and the capital of California. Today, the $1.3 billion SMForward expansion programme for Sacramento International Airport (SMF) looks to drive an even greater transformation for the city and greater metropolitan area by increasing access and capacity. And it couldn’t happen at a better time. SMF air-travel demand is growing. According to the Sacramento County Department of Airports (SCDA), pre-pandemic SMF enjoyed six consecutive years of year-over-year record-breaking passenger growth through 2019. Forecasts show steady passenger growth averaging 4.3% annually through 2041, underscoring the need for expansion. Recent facts support the forecasts. In 2019, Sacramento International Airport handled 13,172,840 passengers, its best year ever. After the pandemic, in 2022, passenger numbers rebounded to 12.3 million. And 2023 looks to continue that growth with passenger numbers reaching 9.6 million by the end of September and forecast to land somewhere between 12.5 million and 13 million by the end of the year. So, post-pandemic, passenger traffic has bounced back quickly and the speed and strength of the recovery has only served to bolster SMF’s growth predictions.
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Airlines and route network
Today, 12 major carriers serve SMF including AeroMexico, Air Canada, Alaska, American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, and United. And they continue to expand their route networks out of Sacramento. For example, Delta recently started service to Las Vegas and will add Detroit next year. American looks to begin direct flights to Miami. And Southwest just added daily flights to Eugene, Oregon, and Nashville, Tennessee, and will launch direct services to Orlando in Spring 2024. Talking about the planned December 21, 2023, launch of SMF’s first ever non-stop service to Miami operated by American Airlines, SCDA director, Cindy Nichol, said: “We are ecstatic. This new route not only provides our passengers with a convenient and seamless travel experience, but it also opens up a world of possibilities for those looking to explore Florida and beyond to Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America.” MIA is, of course, a major hub for international flights, offering quick and easy connections to popular tourist destinations like Cancún, Jamaica, the Bahamas, and the Dominican Republic. In addition, it potentially opens up the cruise ship market for Sacramento via the Port of Miami.
Creating memorable moments
Another reason for implementing such a dynamic development programme as SMF beyond ensuring that the airport is equipped to
AIRPORT REPORT: SACRAMENTO
meet both current and future growth is the desire for its facilities to make a favourable first impression on the millions of new visitors who arrive in Sacramento by air each year. Nichol explains: “The airport experience is the first impression many people have of Sacramento and Northern California, and often the last as they leave, so we want this experience to be a good one. “SMForward sets the stage for the airport’s growth and our region’s growth as a whole over the coming decades.” Not surprisingly, Robert Ryan, the CEO of Twining – an engineering firm with a specialty in materials testing and quality assurance for airports with a long association with SMF – agrees with Nichol about the importance of SMForward. “It will bring greater economic vitality to the entire Sacramento area. And being able to easily get to the heart of government in the sixth largest economy in the world matters greatly to many people, both inside and outside of California,” enthuses Ryan. “And an upgraded SMF will also help our entire aviation system, where virtually every airport is connected. Improving SMF makes a big difference for our nation’s airspace.” But there’s something else that serves as a major impetus for a programme of this size and scope. Sacramentoans love their airport! “What we’ve heard consistently from our customers is that our community loves SMF,” explains SCDA’s chief administrative officer and planning and development deputy director, TJ Chen. “So, we wanted to deliver a $1.3 billion programme that would improve on the customer experience, while ensuring that our construction activities do not impact operations in any way. “That’s a lot like building an airplane while we’re trying to fly it. But we take great pride in developing and maintaining a facility that our community truly loves. So, the whole county is very excited about the SMForward programme.”
Key projects of SMFoward
The largest expansion in SMF’s history, SMForward boasts six ambitious projects including a $140 million state-of-the-art pedestrian walkway connecting Terminal B to Concourse B, expansions to both Terminal A and Concourse B (adding gates and new amenities), a new Terminal B parking garage, and a consolidated ground transportation centre. Launching in summer 2024, the project team expects to finish the programme with a new $390 million consolidated rental car facility by late 2027. Without question the project will be transformative. But there are some truly unusual elements that also inform its conception and design. “The master plan drives everything. And the goal of the master plan is to make the airport a walkable campus,” explains Chen. “Right now, if you need to go to the rental car facility, it’s one of the longest bus rides at our airport. And rental car customers usually travel as families with luggage, so gathering everyone and everything onto a shuttle bus for a long ride is not the experience we want for our customers.” The new rental car facility will be ideally located close to both terminal buildings, along with the ground transportation centre. With the new configuration, Chen posits that passengers can reach their ground transportation option with “less than a five-minute walk.” While primary, customer convenience is not the only feature of SMForward.
Funding the upgrade
“No local taxpayer dollars will be used to pay for SMForward,” notes SCDA’s deputy director for finance and administration, Chris Wimsatt. “Some federal funds will be used from the new bipartisan infrastructure law, but that will only pay for a minor portion of it. “Ultimately, we’re using a combination of federal and state grants, municipal bonds issued by the airport, and users fees. While that may sound typical for many airports, we actually got pretty creative in designing our funding scheme.”
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AIRPORT REPORT: SACRAMENTO
Like many US airports, airline fees will pay for a significant portion of the programme, and revenue from parking will “pay for the lion’s share of the parking facility.” But for much of the rest, Wimsatt and his team got creative. Again, like many airports, Wimsatt looked to use rental car revenue – specifically the customer facility charge (CFC) levied on all renters – to fund the new rental car facility. But timing presented a snag. Wimsatt explains. He says: “First, we chose not to charge the maximum CFC. But the issue was that according to Californian law, our ability to leverage CFC funding for the rental car facility will sunset at the end of this year if we don’t have the financing in place already. So, we’d have to sell bonds to keep collecting the CFC specifically to build our rental car facility. But we didn’t want to sell bonds. “So, we had three options: 1) find other financing, 2) issue placeholder bonds to preserve CFC use and then issue new bonds later, or 3) change state law. We went for option 3.” Wimsatt credits SMF’s “partners and champions” in the state legislature for crafting Assembly Bill 534 that will remove the sunset component entirely, solving the issue for SMF, as well as every other Californian airport. He is also quick to acknowledge that legislators showed great support for SMForward, some of the reasons including the fact that it will make the airport a greener gateway and provide new electric vehicle infrastructure. But Wimsatt and his team didn’t stop there. He explains that SMF is among the first group of airports to pursue TIFIA (Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act) funding specifically for an airport project, instead of an intermodal project connecting to the airport. And while TIFIA use federalises procurement, that presented little challenge to the SMF team, as they’re already using federal funds elsewhere, and Californian procurement standards tend to be stricter than most other jurisdictions in terms of minority business representation, reporting, etc.
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Pioneering project
Given its unique features, yet broad procedural transferability, SMForward not only serves as an essential upgrade, but also as a compelling model for other US airports. Twining’s Ryan, who is also a pilot and has landed twin-engine turboprop aicraft at the airport for more than four decades, notes: “Being state of the art is key to attracting business. I’ve no doubt that SMForward is a cutting-edge investment that will bring great returns to the region for decades. “As a pilot, and as an expert in materials testing/quality assurance, the core mission at my firm is public safety. And that means dotting all of the I’s and crossing all of the T's in everything we do all of the time. When you examine SMForward, it’s abundantly clear that TJ Chen and Chris Wimsatt have meticulously put together a stunning upgrade programme that also provides an incredibly useful paradigm for other airports.” Ryan’s observation about Chen and Wimsatt’s effort is astute. Chen reports that each SMForward project will be contracted out separately, unlike many programmes that bundle such projects together. Though separation creates considerably more work, Chen and his team want to personally ensure that not only is everything done correctly, but also that minority, women, local, small, and disadvantaged business truly do have fair access to SMForward contracts. In the 1840s, the California Gold Rush transformed Sacramento, putting it on a path to its vital importance today. The Sacramento Department of Airports looks to do the exact same thing with their $1.3 billion SMForward transformation of Sacramento International Airport. AW
About the author
Arthur Schurr is a New York-based freelance writer who reports on transportation infrastructure.
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AIRPORT REPORT: ABU DHABI
Ready to write the next chapter
The opening of Abu Dhabi International Airport’s eagerly awaited Terminal A is expected to signal the dawn of an exciting new era for the UAE gateway, writes Joe Bates.
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ithout doubt the opening of the new state-of-the-art Terminal A at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) is a game changer for the UAE gateway, as it now has a world-class passenger facility capable of matching its ambitions, meeting long-term demand, and taking the passenger experience to the next level. In facts and figures, covering a total floor area of 742,000sqm, Terminal A is among the largest airport terminals in the world and will significantly increase Abu Dhabi International Airport’s passenger and cargo capacity. Terminal A is, for example, capable of accommodating up to 45 million passengers per year – more than double AUH’s previous capacity. It can process some 11,000 travellers per hour, simultaneously handle 79 flights, ensure that AUH maintains its enviable status of being able to accommodate 45 minute transfer times for connecting international passengers, and as good as guarantee average walk times of just 12 minutes from kerb to gate. Operator, Abu Dhabi Airports, certainly doesn’t hold back in highlighting the importance of its new addition, saying that Terminal A will “further strengthen Abu Dhabi’s global standing as an aviation hub” and allow the airlines to boost their presence in Abu Dhabi in response to growing demand. It is also quick to point out that the new terminal will boast some of the most advanced technology on the planet – including biometric systems designed to streamline the screening and boarding process – and more than 35,000 square metres of retail and F&B space for passengers to shop, dine and enjoy. Indeed, Abu Dhabi Airports is confident that Terminal A will transform the end-to-end travel experience for all passengers passing through the airport, including the rising number of travellers catching connecting flights to other destinations, primarily with home-based carrier, Etihad Airways. Talking on the day Terminal A opened, Abu Dhabi Airports’ managing director and interim CEO, Elena Sorlini, said: “This is a momentous occasion for Abu Dhabi Airports and the emirate.
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“The official opening of Terminal A ushers a new era for air travel in Abu Dhabi. I’m grateful for the hard work from my colleagues, and partners across the aviation sector, that has helped us reach this historical milestone. “We look forward to sharing the state-of-the-art facilities available at Terminal A with the world and to welcoming passengers to Abu Dhabi International Airport’s new home.”
First flight from new terminal
As you would expect, Etihad had the honour of operating the first commercial service from Terminal A, courtesy of flight EY224 to New Delhi on October 31. The flight, operated by A350-1000 with 359 passengers onboard, was marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Gate C27. Speaking at the ceremony, Etihad CEO, Antonoaldo Neves, enthused: “This is a pivotal and exciting moment in Etihad’s history. As we begin to celebrate our 20th anniversary in November, we are ready for the next growth chapter in our new home. “Our congratulations go to the Abu Dhabi leadership for their vision in creating what is one of the world’s most spectacular airports. The terminal is a stunning piece of architecture that echoes the local landscape and warmly welcomes our guests and elevates their travel experience. “As we begin our transition to our new home, we look forward to welcoming even more passengers as we continue to grow and expand our fleet and network.”
The X-factor
When a building wins a design award before it has even been completed, let alone opened, it is usually impressive, and the Kohn Pederson Fox (KPF) designed Terminal A is no exception. Its four themed piers are said to have been inspired by Abu Dhabi’s desert, sea, city and oasis natural landscapes. According to Abu Dhabi Airports, the distinctive X-shaped design of the terminal was chosen as it will help maximise operational efficiency and improve passenger flows.
AIRPORT REPORT: ABU DHABI
The airport notes that Terminal A’s design “blends modern, lightweight aesthetics with functional brilliance”, explaining that the building’s glass exterior maximises natural light while creating “a monumental civic space” inside the terminal. The size of the monumental space has actually allowed it to include one of the largest indoor public art features in the Middle East, the 22 metre tall and 17 metre wide Sana Al Nour sculpture pictured above.
Sustainable development
In line with the UAE’s sustainability aspirations and targets, Terminal A features energy-efficient lighting, advanced Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems, and has incorporated sustainable materials in its construction. It is expected to drastically reduce AUH's annual water consumption, with some experts predicting that the figure will drop by 45%. And as a major step towards realising Abu Dhabi Airports’ commitment to limiting its operational carbon footprint, a fully integrated solar photovoltaic system has been installed on the roof of Terminal A’s car park, which currently powers a three-megawatt (MW) plant that is predicted to save nearly 5,300 tons of CO2 annually. His Excellency, Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, chairman of Abu Dhabi Airports, said: “As Abu Dhabi’s new gateway to the world, Terminal A, is an embodiment of Abu Dhabi Airports’ commitment to support the emirate’s sustainable economic development. “The opening of the facility, which is on par with the largest and grandest on our planet, turns over a new page in Abu Dhabi’s 55-year aviation history. A beacon of modernity and sophistication, it will be a pivotal driver for our emirate’s growth by spurring tourism and trade.”
Traffic trends
Newly released traffic figures for Q3 2023 show that a total of 5.9 million passengers passed through Abu Dhabi International Airport between July and September – 29% more than in the corresponding quarter a year ago. During the period, AUH also experienced a near 22% increase in aircraft movements and handled 144,000 tonnes of cargo, roughly the same as in Q3 2022. Abu Dhabi’s connectivity also expanded significantly, with 119 destinations served from AUH by 24 airlines. The busiest destinations served in Q3 2023 included London (238,196 passengers), Mumbai (228,189 passengers), Kochi (191,883 passengers), Cairo (172,570 passengers) and Doha (168,417 passengers).
“We are happy to report passenger figures that continue to show double-digit growth for both passengers and movements,” enthused Sorlini. “We are attracting major international airlines to Abu Dhabi, with Air France and SunExpress scheduled to start this IATA Winter season, and we further welcome British Airways’ recent announcement to return to Abu Dhabi in April 2024. Terminal A brings a host of new capabilities and facilities, and will be key to airline and, consequently, passenger growth.”
Abu Dhabi's airport system
In addition to AUH, Abu Dhabi Airports is responsible for operating Al Ain, Al Bateen Executive, Delma and Sir Bani Yas airports in the emirate. A total of 15.9 million passengers used Abu Dhabi’s five airports in 2022, the bulk of the total, of course, using Abu Dhabi International Airport as the emirates’ other gateways primarily serve local or specialised markets. Al Ain International Airport, for example, serves the northwest border city of Al Ain and its growing industrial activities, which now include being home to the UAE’s first aerospace cluster at Nibras Al Ain Aerospace Park. Al Bateen Executive Airport was the first dedicated business aviation and private jet airport to be established in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, while Delma and Sir Bani Yas airports play a vital role in the development of their respective communities, the latter primarily catering to tourists visiting the largest “natural island” in the United Arab Emirates.
What next for Abu Dhabi?
Almost certainly traffic growth and more new routes as AUH continues its recovery from the global pandemic, however, like many other airports in today’s unpredictable world, it is reluctant to make any detailed forecasts. However, one thing we can say for sure is that Abu Dhabi International Airport will be renamed Zayed International Airport on February 9, 2024, coinciding with an official opening ceremony for Terminal A. The name change was recently annouced by the Abu Dhabi government in honour of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who was the founding president of the UAE. The future is bright at Abu Dhabi International Airport, and now it finally has the terminal that can help catapult it to the next level in terms of its facilities and what it can achieve.
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EVENT REVIEW: AIRPORTS INNOVATE
Highlighting innovation The inaugural Airports Innovate conference in Oman proved to be an event to remember for the 500 delegates in attendance, writes Joe Bates.
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s you would expect from an event dedicated to ‘innovation’, the inaugural Airports Innovate conference in Muscat, Oman, addressed a number of innovative ways airports, and the aviation industry, are tackling the operational, customer service and sustainability challenges of today. Nearly 500 delegates from 40 countries across the globe attended the ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East, ACI EUROPE and ACI World organised event, making it one of the association’s biggest since the end of the COVID pandemic. The theme of the event was bold, ‘Dynamic Think-Tank – Reveal the Future’, and it covered some of the latest innovations that are set to transform the global aviation industry, ranging from artificial intelligence, biometrics, big data and digitalisation to electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. But it was not all about technology, with sessions on innovative airport design, accessibility, risk management, brand strategies, human resources and passenger trends. Hosted by Oman Airports, it was fitting that the country’s Minister of Transport, Communications and IT, His Excellency, Saeed Bin Al Maawali, and Sheikh Aimen Bin Ahmed Al Hosni, CEO of Oman Airports and chair of the ACI World, gave the opening addresses. Al Maawali, who noted that the event coincided with Oman’s 53rd National Day under the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, emphasised the importance of aviation to Oman and promised that the Sultanate would continue to invest in its airports and encourage innovation in the aviation sector to ensure future growth. His words about the importance of aviation to Oman, particularly in terms of the economy and global connectivity, were echoed by Al Hosni,
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who revealed that Oman Airports’ commitment to innovation and collaboration had recently led it to opening its own Innovation Lab to nurture the best ideas generated from a hackathon (Aerohack). He revealed that Aerohack attracted over 700 of “the finest minds in aviation” and led to the emergence of more than 300 potential solutions for customer experience, airport operations, automation and sustainability issues. The Aerohack solutions currently being trialled at Oman Airports’ Innovation Lab include the use of drone technology for cleaning tyre rubber from the runways and a new Travel App. Talking about aviation’s recovery from COVID, Al Hosni said that 8.6 billion passengers were expected to pass through the world’s airports in 2023, which is just 6% below the pre-pandemic levels achieved in 2019. He told delegates that 2024 would be “a milestone year for aviation” with the full recovery of global traffic leading to some 9.4 billion passengers passing through the world’s airports – 200 million more than were handled in 2019. ACI’s Latin America and Caribbean region is forecast to become the first to surpass pre-pandemic levels, said Al Hosni, while Asia-Pacific is expected to see a “substantial jump in traffic”, boosted by the re-opening of the Chinese market. Some 400 million passengers are predicted to use airports in the Middle East in 2024 – just 3% less than in 2019 – while traffic in Europe in set to reach 95% of 2019’s level and, according to Al Hosni, passenger numbers in Africa and North America will not be that far behind. “The future of the global aviation industry will be marked by innovation, resilience and transformation change,” remarked Al Hosni. Keynote addresses then followed from the director generals of ACI Asia-Pacific & the Middle East (Stefano Baronci); ACI EUROPE (Olivier Jankovec); and ACI World (Luis Felipe de Oliveira).
EVENT REVIEW: AIRPORTS INNOVATE
Baronci set the tone for the event, highlighting how cutting-edge technologies are driving the travel experience and how airports are prioritising digital transformation. He mused: “Innovation is a tool that helps humans do things better. To increase value and drive growth in a sustainable, repeatable, and substantial manner. However, as important as innovation is, getting it right is very challenging.” Jankovec pointed out that the travel recovery has reshaped demand, the need for stringent environmental policies, and how innovation can make the industry more sustainable to ensure that airports keep their licences to operate. Europe’s airports, he said, were “transitioning from recovery to the new normal”. “Moving forward, we see an agenda of resilience and transformation for Europe’s airports and the need to work towards a new value creation model based on three key strategy directions – sustainability, innovation and diversification,” said Jankovec. He reminded delegates about ACI EUROPE’s establishment of an Innovation Forum earlier this year that is dedicated to propelling transformative changes within the European airport industry. ACI World’s de Oliveira noted that the world’s airports have invested a significant $6.8 billion on the new technology this year alone, underscoring the commitment to improving their operational efficiency, performance levels and enhancing the airport experience. He also reminded the audience about the importance of cooperation and collaboration with partners both within and outside the aviation industry. “There is no airline without an airport, and there is no airport without an airline, but there is no industry without customers,” commented de Oliviera. On innovation, he stated: “We have to look at how we use innovation and different processes to improve the services we bring to our customers. The future is very positive with passenger traffic set to double over the next 20 years, although accommodating this growth will not be simple. “We have workforce [recruitment] issues, and will clearly not be able to double the size of our airports or airline operations to meet demand. So, we basically need technology to play a key role in the future,
especially in areas of the airport where people can be elsewhere and use their expertise to better serve our guests.” The first panel session of the day kicked off the event on a high note. Billed as ‘Innovation Ready Leaders – How to Develop a Corporate Culture with Embedded Innovation’, we got to hear a little about the innovation building strategies of VINCI Airports, IGA Istanbul Airport, and Milan airport operator, SEA. Addressing the topic for VINCI Airports, area director for the USA, Europe and South East Asia, and president of ACI Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, Emmanuel Menanteau, stated that the global airport operator relied on its staff as well as technology to provide innovation across its network of 72 airports. One of the ways it does this, he said, is to use an open innovation platform to allow the sharing of ideas, with innovation prizes offered as an incentive to staff to contribute. In addition, it has created a ‘Centre of Excellence’ at London Gatwick, Lisbon and Lyon airports specifically to generate new ideas to help the group’s airports become smarter, faster, more automated, paperless, bottleneck free and offer a better customer/user experience. Menanteau, who declared that “innovation drives the world to change”, said the VINCI group believes in a collaborative approach to innovation, so works with a lot of start-ups, third parties and different stakeholders in developing ideas as it “doesn’t make things in-house”. In terms of the big picture, Menanteau suggested that innovation was crucial to supporting the decarbonisation of the aviation industry and would help the sector reach its Net Zero by 2050 target. SEA CEO and president of ACI EUROPE, Armando Brunini, was another to argue that co-operation with others was key to driving innovation. SEA, for example, already works closely with many different suppliers and stakeholders to enhance its operations as well as with Airbus and different energy companies as it looks to lower carbon emissions at Milan’s airports. He also stated that risk taking sometimes meant failure, that communication from management was vital when it came to getting staff onboard with new innovations, and divulged that SEA was currently reviewing around 170 ideas collected from staff in an innovation challenge, from which they would probably select one or two to develop.
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EVENT REVIEW: AIRPORTS INNOVATE
IGA Istanbul Airport’s new CEO, Selahattin Bilgen, revealed that three major sources of innovation at the Turkish gateway were its Innovation Department, its IGA Hub entrepeneurship programme – in partnership with ITU ARI Teknokent – and collaboration with Plug and Play. Next up was a presentation about the smart airport enabling benefits of 5G Wi-Fi networks from Lei Xinghua, Huawei’s vice president of enterprise optical business domain, followed by a session about the increasing levels of collaborating between airports and tech giants, and another dedicated to the eVTOL phenomenon. The tech giants panel, entitled ‘Meet the Giants: A New Journey Towards The Future’ featured representatives from Amazon Web Services; Idemia; Cisco; Google Cloud and Huawei. Arguably, key takeaways from the session are that predictive analysis, paperless travel, virtual interactions, and robust cyber security are the potential game-changers driving the ongoing transformation of the airport industry. The launch of the first commercial eVTOL flights in Paris next summer to coincide with the city hosting the 2024 Olympic Games means that eVTOL aircraft and vertiports are now firmly on the radar of the world’s airports. The session, ‘EVTOL – A New Way to Fly’ featured some of the airport operators that are set to become early adopters of the new technology. Houston Airports’ chief external affairs officer, Saba Abashawl, noted that the airport operator would incorporate eVTOLs into its new masterplan and was still evaluating whether new infrastructure would be needed to accommodate them or if they could be handled in existing facilities at either Hobby, Bush Intercontinental or Ellington. United Airlines has told HAS that it will start using eVTOLs at the end of 2026 and has already invested over $1 billion with eVTOL manufacturer Archer Aviation to make sure that it is one of the first commercial airlines in the world to embrace eVTOL taxi services. Explaining more about United’s eVTOL plans, Abashawl said: “They want to start in 2026 with four aircraft moving about 26,000 passengers a year. This kind of scares me as we are not quite ready for that. “In Phase 2, in 2028, United want to go to 16 aircraft handling some 251,000 passengers per year, and at full ramp up soon after that they want 32 aircraft making 650 flights a day to handle 661,000 passengers
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yearly. This gives you an idea about what kind of planning the City of Houston and HAS have to do to accommodate eVTOLs. There are lots of challenges on my table.” Talking about Groupe ADP’s strategy on eVTOLs, deputy director of business development, Joyce Abou Moussa, said she had no doubt that eVTOLs will bring huge benefits for customers whose journey time is precious, but felt that it would be 10-15 years before they would have a significant impact on airports or the way the majority of people travel. Korean Airports Corporation (KAC), which manages and operates 14 airports across South Korea, is preparing for eVTOL operations – in partnership with a number of Korean conglomoratres – to ensure that it is ready for the new mode of transport, according to the company’s senior manager of the advanced air mobility office, Hyung-Kyu Woo. Daniel O’Neill of Skyports, which is developing ground infrastructure for flying taxis, noted that his company built the world’s first prototype vertiport for eVTOL aircraft in Singapore in 2019 and is currently working to deliver four vertiports in Dubai by 2026, including one at Dubai International Airport (DXB). Immediately after the panel, ACI EUROPE’s director of airport capacity and operations, Aidan Flanagan, called for all vertiport operators to join the association as full members. The afternoon of Day 1 was made up of a series of short presentations before ending in a panel discussion about how artificial intelligence is transforming the passenger experience at airports. Among those making presentations during the busy afternoon were Airbus’ head of external affairs, Laurent Boisson, who in his speech about innovation for net zero aviation revealed that the aircraft manufacturer is currently looking at three different concepts for a hydrogen powered aircraft – a turboprop aircraft with a range of 1,000 nautical mile, a 2,000nm range jet aircraft the size of the A320, and a revolutionary new 2,000nm plus range blended wing body. A decision on what hydrogen powered aircraft it will develop will be made in 2027 with the most likely outcome at this stage being the 100-passenger capacity regional aircraft, with a provisonal date of 2035 set for it entering into service.
EVENT REVIEW: AIRPORTS INNOVATE
He noted that current Airbus aircraft were capable of carrying up to a 50% blend of SAF and traditional jet fuel and that it was working on certification for 100% SAF solution, although the issue today isn’t so much about the fuel as its availability to the aviation industry. Boisson was followed by Alfio Faro, a senior partner at Studio Fuksas, who spoke about some pioneering airport design projects in China and Saudi Arabia, and Incheon International Airport Corporation senior researcher, Seokhyun Son, who gave a presenation about ‘Aviation in the Metaverse’, and revealed that his gateway had spent years and invested upwards of $1.4 mllion on developing the gateway’s virtual reality service, Incheon XR Metaverse. Son said: “The metaverse is capable of bridging the gap between virtual and real-world experiences. Through using the Incheon metaverse passengers are able to better enjoy the airport.” Safdie Architects’ senior partner, Charu Kokate, then provided a fascinating insight into how Singapore Changi created a green and tropical oasis inside its Jewel Changi development courtesy of 2,500 trees, over 100,000 shrubs and, of course, its famous 40 metre high Rain Vortex, the world’s largest and tallest indoor waterfall. The penultimate single presentation of the day was given by Hisham Dekmak, TAV Technologies’ sales and business development manager, who explained how technology developed by the company, such as its next generation airport management solution, Total Airport Management Suite (TAMS), is now being sold to other airports across the globe. SITA’s Jihad Boueri then moderated the day’s final panel session called ‘How Artificial Intelligence is Transforming Future Passenger Experience at Airports’ with a panel of experts that included Heathrow Airport’s head of technology, design and innovation, Steve Armitage. Talking about how Heathrow is dealing with innovation, Armitage admitted that he personally had to be innovative and adapt and evolve in recent years as the business had changed since the pandemic. “Before the pandemic we were focusing on some fairly transformational stuff with more long-term outcomes,” said Armitage. “I was doing some experiments with autonomous vehicles airside, robotics and, having quite a lot of fun. Then the pandemic came, and along with everyone else, our priorities changed to focus on COVID.
“Since then we have been focused on recovery, and now, finally, we are starting to look futher forward again, which I am very pleased about. Recent innovations at Heathrow include the time slot trial for airport security [passengers can now pre-book slots] we just announced, and trials of a mobile electric vehicle solution, which is effectively a battery on wheels.” Also on the panel were Basim Allawati, vice president of infrastructure and security at Oman Airports; Federico Cabrera, operations and passenger experience manager at Montevideo–Carrasco International Airport (MVD) for Aeropuertos Uruguay; and Kazumi Hiraoka, general manager at the DX development and planning department in the corporate planning division at Narita International Airport Corporation. Allawati took the opportunity to share his experiences about Oman’s Innovation Lab and how the airport is trialling multiple AI tools to enhance the passenger experience, baggage screening and operations on the apron. Hiraoka mentioned Tokyo Narita’s pioneering Face Express facial recognition system and the role AI has played in ongoing experiments with autonomous vehicles, and the development of the chatbot the airport uses to communicate with passengers. While Cabrera discussed MVD’s use of AI to analyse its quarterly ASQ results to allow it to improve services for passengers, and the trial of a tool to detect forbidden agricultural products being brought into Uruguay. But the day wasn’t quite yet done as in the early evening a fleet of coaches transferred delegates into downtown Muscat to enjoy a fabulous outdoor Gala Dinner in the grounds of the Crowne Plaza hotel overlooking the beach and the Gulf of Oman.
Day 2
Brand strategy and innovation; airport innovation hubs; and data sharing were all on the agenda in the opening sessions of the second day of Airports Innovate. The morning began with an interesting discussion about the innovative marketing and branding concepts being embraced by airports to reflect their ever-evolving offerings and business models.
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EVENT REVIEW: AIRPORTS INNOVATE
Shalini Rao, chief marketing officer at Benguluru’s Kempegowda International Airport, explained how the newly opened Terminal 2 had created a dynamic new facility for the gateway that, in addition to its operational benefits, provided a spectacular showcase for local art and culture as well as many new opportunities to boost non-aeronautical related revenue. Talking about Fraport’s brand philosophy for Frankfurt Airport and its global airport network, the company’s vice president of corporate strategy and digitialisation, Claus Grunow, explained how the company is repositioning its brand to reflect the passenger journey, its staff, and connecting the world. Qualities Fraport it hopes will make it easier to recruit new talent around the globe. Also on the panel, moderated by JCDecaux’s marketing and business development director, Jérôme Lepage, was Yousif Al Bulushi, founder and CEO of AWJ Innovation. Arguably the highlight of the conference followed, a lively and highly enganging panel discussion about Airport Innovation Labs, expertly moderated by ACI World’s senior vice president for programmes and commercial services, Antoine Rostworowski. The session effectively covered the relatively new concept of Airport Innovation Labs and how an ever increasing number of airports are establishing their own on-site facilities to test and develop new technologies that they benefit from directly and could potentially sell to other airports. One of the early adopters of an Innovation Lab is Hyderabad International Airport, whose executive director, SKG Kishore, told delegates that the potential benefits that they offer meant that he now considered them to be a “must have, and not a nice to have facility” for any airport. Talking about innovation in general, Kishore said he viewed it as a transformation process and culture rather than just about technology, which he referred to as simply the tool to help you achieve the transformation. He noted: “There is no definitive destination for innovation. It is all about context and bringing change to the company culture and creating an open platform [the GMR Innovation Exhange or Innovex in the case of GMR] that will enable each and every indiviudal in the organisation to think differently, giving them the freedom to experiment and taking away the fear of failure.”
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Giulio Ranucci, head of innovation and digital at Aeroporti di Roma (AdR), noted that over the last three years the Italian airport operator had worked with a number of start-ups from across the world on potential solutions for its Rome airports. Oman Airports’ digital transformation director, Rashid Hamood Al Busaidi, was as equally enthusiastic about the worth of airport innovation labs, even though his company only launched its own facility in Q4 this year. In answer to a question about the company’s general approach to innovation, he said that Oman Airports is focused on fostering an innovation culture in the mindset of its staff, follows a clear and well defined innovation strategy, and uses events such as the recent hackathon to encourage out of the box thinking. Also on the ‘Airport Innovation Hubs: Playground for Transformation’ panel were Pablo Lopez Loeches, head of ideation and entrepeneurship at global airport operator, Aena, and Benjamin Kloss, director of Plug and Play Abu Dhabi. All agreed that being innovative and forward thinking would prove key to their future success as well as providing potential new sources of revenue through the solutions developed at their innovation labs. Thomas Romig, ACI World’s senior vice president for safety, security and operations, then took to the stage to update delegates about the launch of ACI’s new data sharing platform (AirportShare), stressing that in today’s always connected world, “data is the new gold”. The concept – developed in partnership with ACI World Business Partner (WBP) Rockport Software – effectively uses the common language Airport Community Recommended Information Services (ACRIS) platform to share data that can be used by airports to manage operations, improve the customer experience and bolster revenues. Six months on from the official launch, Romig said that AirportShare had a growing airport community that includes early adopter Rome Fiumicino and most recently IGA Istanbul Airport. It also have three data consumers – Beontra, Roadify and Mappedin – all connected directly to the platform. When ACI World completes the proof of concept for AirportShare early next year, it plans building it into a more comprehensive platform by adding additional levels of data from activities such as airport parking.
EVENT REVIEW: AIRPORTS INNOVATE
“So, once we build this up, in essence we will have a universe where we can connect all of the different airports across ACI’s network, or even wider, and data consumers will be able to leverage that date for the benefit of their customers, for the benefit of consumers and for the benefit of the community at large,” enthused Romig. A presentation by Amazon Web Services’ chief technology officer, Shivagami Gugan, about ‘Aviation In The Metaverse 2.0’ followed, who in turn was followed by Stine Marsal, Copenhagen Airport’s former service excellence director, who gave an enthusiastic and passionate presentation about the importance of inclusion, citing the success of the airport’s launch of Sunflower Lanyards for people with hidden disabilities. Next up was an engaging panel discussion featuring industry experts, risk management professionals, and insurance specialists who delved into the critical intersection of risk management, sustainability and resilience in the airport business. Indeed, delegates learnt how sustainable practices such as utilising renewable energy, water conservation, and waste reduction can effectively mitigate risks and enhance the resilience of airports. Some key takeaways included the need for airports to have a robust business continuity plan; a robust emergency framework will enable airports to mitigate black swan events; pragmatic dialogues with partners and stakeholders can help mitigate risks; A robust risk management policy can enhance the reputation of the airport. On stage were KJ Devasia, assistant vice president and head of enterprise risk and corporate resiliance at Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL); Stefan Rüter, senior vice president for controlling and financial planning at Fraport; and Sara Sabt, Gulf Air’s director for risk management. There followed a quich change of tack when Rana Nawas, a partner for transportation and logistics at Oliver Wyman, launched the new White Paper, Financing The Airports of Tomorrow: A Green Transition Toolkit. Produced in collaboration with the World Economic Forum and ACI World, it is designed to help airports determine the most efficient and effective ways to finance their green transformation to enable the decarbonisation of the aviation industry.
The carbon footprint of baggage and how it needs to be reduced during aviation’s decarbonisation journey was the subject of a thought provoking presentation by NACO’s airport digitalisation lead, Clive McNabb. He actually raised a few eyebrows by suggesting that one way to do this would be to ban all hold luggage on flights, and even though he himself accepted that this would never win the approval of passengers or indeed the airlines which make considerable amounts of revenue from baggage, his case study for doing so was quite compelling. McNabb claimed that by NACO calculations, if all hold baggage was banned on KLM flights out of Amsterdam Schiphol Airport for one year, the airline would save around $110 million in fuel costs per annum and reduce emissions by 3% per flight. More realistically, perhaps, he suggested that today’s baggage allowance could be reduced to help the planet and believed that there was much the industry could do to make the baggage handling process more efficient and lower CO2 emissions. These included making the loading/unloading process more efficient, optimising the use of baggage handling systems – which he claimed on average account for 10% of an airport’s electricity useage – and doing a better job of transporting luggage, arguing that the number of mishandled bags in 2022 was equivalent to the emissions from 6,500 flights. With the conference end fast approaching there was just time for two more panel discussions, firstly one about ‘New Paths to Accessibility For People with Disabilities’, followed by ‘The Future of Us: The Evolution of the Airport Workforce’. It was right that the event should end with two human resources focused panels as it is often easy to lose sight of the key role people play in not only making everything work but in fostering innovation and, of course, looking after the billions of us that travel by air each year. The first of these sessions covered ways we can make airports even more accessible for travellers and staff with physical and hidden disabilities, and the latter addressed today’s workforce shortages and how airports can retain, develop and upskill their workforces to hold on to them and increase their appeal to future generations.
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SPECIAL REPORT: SUSTAINABILITY
Bigger and better The growth and development of ACI’s Airport Carbon Accreditation programme was one of the sustainable aviation highlights of 2023, writes WSP’s Dr Catherine Wilson.
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here is no time to waste when it comes to protecting the environment, especially as at the close of 2023 there will be just seven years left to meet the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) goal of halving global carbon emissions by 2030. No sector is left unturned, including aviation. In 2022, ICAO set a collective Long-Term Global Aspirational Goal (LTAG) for aviation to achieve Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050. That’s just 27 years for the sector to reduce its complex and hard-to-abate 2%-3% global emissions. There is much to be done, so with every year counting, the time is probably right to look back at some of the key 2023 developments to decarbonise aviation.
Impactful sector initiatives
The growing uptake of sector-wide tools in 2023, such as the institutionally endorsed Airport Carbon Accreditation Programme have resulted in scaled up decarbonisation impact at sector level. From 17 certified airports at the programme's launch in 2009 to over 500 global certified airports May 30, 2023, this was a key milestone for the airport sector (550 airports by December 2023). December 6, 2023, also saw another milestone for Airport Carbon Accreditation, with the launch of its top-most Level 5 certification level. Described by Olivier Jankovec, director general of ACI EUROPE as a “pivotal shift”, Level 5 requires airports to demonstrate net zero carbon
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balance for control emissions (Scope 1 and 2) with a plan to meet Net Zero for guide and influence emissions (Scope 3). Ten airports have achieved Level 5: • Amsterdam Schiphol Airport; • Beja Airport; • Christchurch International Airport; • Eindhoven Airport. • Göteborg Landvetter Airport; • Madeira Airport; • Malmö Airport; • Ponta Delgada Airport; • Rotterdam the Hague Airport; and • Toulon-Hyères Airport; A collaborative approach across the aviation sector ecosystem is increasingly going to be needed to drive the change required to meet ICAO’s ambitious 2050 goals. While Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), electrification and hydrogen planes hold great hope for the future of sustainable aviation, these innovations require substantial investment, scaling up and will take decades to fully implement. This year, however, saw many note-worthy developments.
SPECIAL REPORT: SUSTAINABILITY Sustainable Aviation Fuels
Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) are a potential solution for long-haul trips; with carbon savings of 70%-80%. November 28, 2023, saw Virgin Atlantic and Rolls-Royce partner on the first commercial transatlantic flight flying on 100% SAF; demonstrating SAF as a suitable drop-in fossil-fuel replacement using current engines. November also saw a new ICAO goal to reduce carbon emissions from aviation by 5% by 2030 through the use of SAF. This year also saw the UK’s first ever direct air capture plant to make SAF.
Disruptive aircraft technologies
Electric and hydrogen power saw a number of successful small-scale demonstrations in 2023. On electric, which is seen as a suitable short-haul option, Joby Aviation and Volocopter tested its electrical air taxi flight in New York City in November; aiming to launch an electric air taxi service by 2025. Hybrid-electric planes are seen as a serious option for longer trips. On December 10, Ampaire’s hybrid-electric demonstrator plane flew for 12 hours; the company is aiming to launch a fully electric 9-seat aircraft service by 2026. Hydrogen has challenges around it needing to be in liquid form, cooled and its volume means that aircraft need to be redesigned for larger tanks. November saw Entrepreneur, Dale Vince contract with ZeroAvia for 70 of its ZA600 hydrogen-electric engines; aiming to become the first electric airline from 2025.
Looking back – looking forward
The sector’s decarbonisation efforts have had much bad press. For sure, deeper sector commitments and actions are needed, at speed and scale, across the aviation ecosystem. This 2023 review, however, highlights many good developments on the sector’s journey to achieve Net Zero by 2050. Carbon is the enemy, however, not travel. Travel and tourism bring benefits, such as poverty alleviation in poor countries. Aviation faces huge challenges to decarbonise, but the opportunity is there for the sector to lead through collaboration, influence and innovation – and prove it can be done!
Level 5 Requirements
• Achieve and maintain ≥ 90% absolute CO₂ emissions reductions (a Net Zero balance) in Scope 1 and Scope 2 i.e. direct and indirect emissions under the airports control; in alignment with ISO Net Zero Guideline IWA 42:2022; • Strategic commitment to extend mapping, monitoring, reporting and influencing Net Zero for all other indirect emissions outside the airports control (Scope 3) by 2050 or sooner; • Apply credible carbon removals for the residual emissions; • Submit a verified carbon footprint for Scope 1 and 2 emissions and all relevant categories of Scope 3 emissions as per requirements of the GHG Protocol Scope 3 Guidance; • Develop a Carbon Management Plan (CMP) outlining the steps to achieve emissions targets; • Develop a milestone-driven Stakeholder Partnership Plan to achieve Net Zero for Scope 3 emissions by engaging with the value chain and actively drive third parties at the airport towards delivering emissions reductions in line with their sectors Net Zero Frameworks and commitments.
Pioneering Eindhoven Airport
Q&A with Gaby Mols, corporate affairs manager at Eindhoven Airport in the Netherlands. How did Eindhoven start its carbon journey to reach where you are today? The 2009 launch of the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme really helped Eindhoven Airport with a framework for our decarbonisation journey, starting at Level 1. We deepened our airport’s carbon journey as we achieved the different levels of accreditation, starting with mapping our carbon footprint. With that data, we were able to know where and how we could best reduce carbon at our airport, which helped develop and implement our annually reviewed ‘Planet Roadmap’ across our entire organisation for Scopes 1, 2 and 3.
How is Eindhoven addressing Scope 3 emissions in relation to Airport Carbon Accreditation Level 5 requirements? We have actively been working together with our airport partners since 2012, with regular meetings on joint goals. We have a new strategy to reduce 30% carbon emissions from air traffic at Eindhoven airport by 2030, compared to 2019. For example, Eindhoven Airport encourages airlines to fly from or to Eindhoven with quiet and clean aircrafts that emit less noise and emissions by applying a lower airport charge. From 2030, we will only allow these kinds of latest-generation aircrafts at our airport. We will also cap the number of flights at Eindhoven at 40,500 per year in 2026 and 2027 to reduce overall Scope 3 emissions, as well as banning fossil-fuel private flights from 1 January 2026. In 2024, we will implement a new SAF incentive to help drive its uptake by means of a financial incentive if airlines mix more than 20% of the Kerosene refuelled at our airport with SAF.
What three tips would you give an airport considering Level 5 Airport Carbon Accreditation certification?
My first tip: you cannot do it alone! Work together with all your partners and stakeholders and let everyone take ownership of all the necessary reduction measurements and activities. Second, it is not easy! Take your time compiling your Scope 3 data and strengthening your partnerships to set ambitious goals. Seek a consultant with experience in carbon management within the aviation sector if you need support. My third tip: put your heart and soul into it – and go for it! We are mighty proud of our Level 5 certification level. It will be worth it!
About the author
Dr Catherine Wilson is WSP’s global programme lead for ACI’s Airport Carbon Accreditation programme.
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SPECIAL REPORT: SUSTAINABILITY
Three steps to net zero Focusing on three key issues will help the aviation industry reduce carbon emissions, writes Landrum & Brown's sustainable airports specialist, Sara Christen.
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or anyone involved in the aviation industry or running an airport today, a major talking point is the sector’s contribution to global warming, and how we can cut carbon emissions and improve our overall sustainability. The 2021 landmark announcement by ACI of a long-term goal of Net Zero Carbon by 2050, along with last year’s announcement by IATA, saw global airports and airlines commit to reaching net zero by 2050.While this is a positive step, there is more to do. Often the argument that is loudest is that reducing carbon emissions in aviation is impossible. This is based on historical perceptions of the industry as a heavy polluter which contributes around 2% of global carbon emissions. As a result of innovative technology and a sustainable focus on new solutions, this couldn’t be further from the truth. At Landrum & Brown, we have been tracking the energy use per passenger (EUP) at major airports around the world. EUP is a comparison of total annual energy use at airports to the total number of annual passengers. Before the pandemic hit, our data showed positive progress. Despite significant airport growth in the intervening period and record passenger traffic globally in 2019, EUP actually declined by 20%. So how was this possible? Airports took advantage of low-hanging fruit to decrease their carbon emissions – from updating lighting to replacing mechanical systems. Despite this progress, it’s undeniable that the pandemic has had an impact on this trajectory. With airports remaining open and operating, and passenger numbers reaching record lows during the pandemic, data shows that EUP has increased by 8% to 9% as a result. As the industry continues to recover from the pandemic, it might sound like a tall order to reverse this trend and return to progressing
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efforts to cut emissions, particularly when most airports have addressed the ‘easy’ options, but it is critical that we are not deterred. In the coming months and years, airports must make major decisions around implementation to achieve targets. This will not always be straightforward, but there is plenty of encouragement there. Already, many airports are working with planning firms like Landrum & Brown to develop robust sustainability strategies, outline ambitious but achievable emissions goals, and design implementation plans which include the adoption of new, emerging solutions. These airports are guided by the belief that they can achieve net zero and contribute to a more sustainable future for our industry and the planet. How each airport does this will be different, but we see there being three key areas to focus on. Firstly, it will be important for airports to work out how to reduce energy use per passenger. There are other metrics that can be considered, but this is the best for establishing a ‘common denominator’ among commercial service airports in tracking and benchmarking energy use. EUP takes the wildly varying ages, sizes, and number of facilities among airports out of the equation. It’s also important because it allows for airports to grow and expand as they should without ‘penalising’ them for using more total energy. As a next step, airports need to consider how they will tackle the ‘high-hanging fruit’ to improve overall energy efficiency, such as increased use and scale of renewables like solar, microgrids, and geothermal energy sources. Secondly, airports across the globe must prepare for how they are going to adopt sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), hydrogen and other future fuels that may soon come to market.
SPECIAL REPORT: SUSTAINABILITY
Despite supply chain issues and a current lack of infrastructure investment, which is stopping SAF from being as popular as Jet-A worldwide, the change could happen much sooner. We only have to look at the fanfare associated with Virgin Atlantic’s transatlantic flight in November on 100% sustainable fuel to see the growing momentum. What will be interesting to observe in the coming years is the relationship between airlines and airports over how the infrastructure for SAF-powered aircraft is funded. To meet sustainability targets, we cannot afford to let such debates hold up proceedings. Airports should start working now with tenants and stakeholders to determine how the transition from traditional aircraft fuel needs to be structured and implemented. Finally – and the most challenging aspect – is having a clear plan for reducing Scope 3 emissions. These are greenhouse gas emissions that are a result of tenant, passenger, and visitor activities and operations at an airport – things that are beyond the airport’s direct control. This includes airline operations of aircraft and ground support equipment, other tenants, such as rental car companies, and taxi and passenger vehicles. Although an airport has control of Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions and can easily plan for reductions, they are typically a small percentage of an airport’s overall emissions. Here lies the challenge. Because Scope 3 emissions typically make up the largest percentage of an airport’s carbon footprint, reduction of these will have the strongest impact on reducing an airport’s impact on the environment. It isn’t an easy fix and requires significant stakeholder engagement and planning. There are a few airports in the world that are excelling at this, like Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), San Diego International Airport (SAN) and Vancouver International Airport (YVR). But there is still opportunity to establish a unified approach to overcoming it. In recent years, we are especially proud of our work with Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) on its sustainability journey. Arguably, O’Hare has been an industry leader for sustainability since 2003. It led the way with the first sustainable design and construction guidance and the first project rating system for an airport in the US. Its pioneering sustainability initiatives also includes using grazing herds of goats and sheep instead of pesticides to manage vegetation, including
tall grass, on 16 acres of land to the west of airfield. While a grazing herd won’t be appropriate for every airport, it shows the type of out-of-the-box thinking needed for tomorrow. As the Chicago Department of Aviation moves into the future with its recently announced Terminal Area Plan (TAP) and O’Hare 21 Program, which is Chicago’s vision for a modern airport that will be an efficient and accessible international gateway, sustainability will continue to be a priority throughout both the design and construction processes, as well as operations and maintenance. Another leader in this space is the Abu Dhabi Airport Company (ADAC), which underwent sustainability planning for all five of its airports. We were briefed to perform a comprehensive review, validation and refinement of the Airport Master Plan for Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH). This included advanced planning for airfield, terminal, support facilities, utilities and landside masterplans. The sustainability goals of ADAC were developed for all aspects of administration, operations, maintenance, planning, design and construction to be performed to the highest and best standards of sustainability practices. This programme established metric performance standards tied to activity levels, with goals that were designed to be reinforced through incentives for staff, tenants, contractors, and the travelling public. Seeing first-hand the entire planning process through to the design and construction of so many leading airports, I’m confident that necessary progress is being achieved. COP28 provided an opportunity to take stock on the real-world aviation industry examples that have worked and what hasn’t, and why, regarding airport operational improvements, energy transition for airports and aircraft, and innovative technologies overall. Progress has been made but without collaboration between private businesses and the aviation industry, we won’t reach our potential. AW We all need to act now.
About the author
Sara Christen is the Chicago based associate vice president of Landrum & Brown, which is part of the Sidara Company (formerly the Dar Group).
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SPECIAL REPORT: SUSTAINABILITY
Financing the green transition
Jennifer Desharnais, ACI World’s director of sustainability and environmental protection, explains more about the Airports of Tomorrow initative and new Green Transition Toolkit.
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irports have been at the centre of aviation decarbonisation, and they continue to be on the front line to provide and facilitate sustainable solutions and practices for the entire ecosystem. The ACI Airport Carbon Accreditation programme stands as a testament, with over 555 airports actively engaged globally in reducing their carbon footprint. This programme is the only institutionally endorsed, global carbon management certification for airports, and positions them as leaders in the battle against climate change. While airports have made significant strides in addressing Scope 1 and 2 emissions through measures like renewable energy production and efficiency enhancements, the true challenge lies in confronting Scope 3 emissions, which can reach 97% of their emissions profile. To attain the audacious net zero by 2050 target, a bold collaborative effort across the entire aviation sector and its intricate value chain becomes paramount. As the industry energy transition progresses, airports which cannot demonstrate progress towards decarbonisation, might face increased risks, such as restrictions on access to conventional finance, at least in the developed world. Private equity funds in climate-mature regions have begun to request full Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions disclosures, as well as emissions reduction targets. In acknowledgment of these challenges, the World Economic Forum and ACI World have embarked on the Airports of Tomorrow (AoT) initiative. AoT serves as a nexus for discussions on energy transition elements. It provides analyses of decarbonisation solutions, ensuring the aviation industry stays firmly on track for net zero. Covering sustainable finance, infrastructure and the concept of airports as energy hubs, sustainable aviation fuels, and innovation, AoT embraces a holistic approach to industry transformation. As part of the sustainable finance pillar, the Forum developed the Financing the Airports of Tomorrow: A Green Transition Toolkit, in partnership with Oliver Wyman, ACI World, and sustainable mobility and airport infrastructure company Mundys. The toolkit explores the decarbonisation measures that airports can take and breaks down the financing mechanisms available to them. It explores the near, medium, and long-term decarbonisation actions, as well as mapping
financing mechanisms including commercial loans, development bank loans/ grants, and sustainability-linked finance, taking into account airport size and regional governing policy. The publication also includes case studies and best practices, enriching airports with the necessary tools to secure capital for sustainability projects. In doing so, it seeks to help guide airports – especially smaller ones or those without government support – towards building compelling cases for both conventional and green financing. Oliver Wyman underscores the toolkit's importance, recognising that while airports may not be the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, they play a pivotal role in propelling the entire aviation industry towards decarbonisation. As the industry faces the capital-intensive endeavour of decarbonisation, the toolkit becomes an indispensable resource, offering not only a framework for mapping out decarbonisation strategies but also showcasing examples of airports successfully leveraging various financing options. Bringing together more than 50 stakeholders from the aviation ecosystem, AoT addresses supply-side constraints linked to the industry's net zero transition. This diverse group is made of airport operators such as Dubai Airports, original equipment manufacturers, aircraft operators, fuel producers, ground handling and airport service providers, engineering and construction firms, and financial institutions. Knowledge partners, including McKinsey & Company, Kearney, and Oliver Wyman, also contribute expertise to drive strategic dialogue and find solutions for shared challenges, accelerating the net zero journey. In essence, AoT stands as a critical platform, fostering collaboration and thought leadership to tackle the most significant challenges faced by airports globally. By establishing a cross-sectoral co-ordinated global vision, steering clear of fragmented approaches, and facilitating public-private consensus, AoT emerges as an enabler to future-proofing airports and unlocking greater benefits on their journey towards a sustainable and decarbonised future. ACI World’s collaboration with the World Economic Forum through AoT is in line with our commitment to helping our members implement climate solutions that promote the growth and sustainability of airports worldwide. Our travellers and communities count on us.
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SPECIAL REPORT: SUSTAINABILITY
Navigating the future ICF’s Eliot Lees and Chris Watson consider some of the key issues airports should take into account when planning for the electrification of their fleet of ground support vehicles and equipment.
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s airports seek to reduce their carbon footprint and align with environmental goals, transitioning to electric vehicles is not just an ethical choice, it is also a strategic one. Many of the world’s airports have, of course, established decarbonisation targets, but now comes the harder part – implementation. Airports typically have a broad range of on and off-road vehicles and equipment. These have traditionally been powered by gasoline, but times are changing, and as many vehicles and truck fleets reach the end of their effective lifecycles, airports may consider switching to electric vehicles (EV). However, the transition to an electric fleet requires careful planning and consideration of various elements to ensure a seamless transition. This is something ICF has experience of doing as we have worked with many public and private entities on EV fleet planning and implementation. Indeed, on behalf of various electric utility companies, ICF provides fleet electrification advisory services to their public and private customers, including airports. Through our fleet advisory engagements, ICF has identified key areas that airports should take into account when planning for fleet electrification. Further external information that is important, is to know what EV alternatives are available today, but also have a good idea about the capabilities of future EV alternatives and a realistic timeline as to when they will be introduced.
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What are vehicle range and charging requirements?
Fleet managers understand the utilisation, capacity, and use-case specific requirements of their fleet and equipment; these are some of the requirements that impact the selection of electric alternatives to make sure the electrified version meets or exceeds the required range and capabilities of the replaced vehicle. These requirements also drive selection of appropriate charging stations for the new fleet and equipment. Speed of charging is a key consideration. Fast charging options can minimise downtime but incur a higher cost up front to procure and install.
What are the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) implications?
Understanding the total cost of ownership is vital for making informed decisions about the integration of electric vehicles into an airport’s corporate fleet. While the upfront cost of electric vehicles may be higher than their conventional counterparts, the long-term operational savings can offset these initial expenses. Factors such as federal, state, and utility incentives, maintenance costs, and the cost of electricity versus traditional fuel should all be considered when calculating the TCO of electric vehicles. An airport should know the total financial and economic costs and impacts of fleet transition, but also on a vehcile by vehicle basis, to be able to make the most effective and informed decisions.
SPECIAL REPORT: SUSTAINABILITY Executive Summary MASSACHUSETTS PORT AUTHORITY
Massachusetts Port Authority Fleet Electrification Assessment
Chart A. Recommended EV Replacement Timeline: Fuel Types 100%
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80%
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60%
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0 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034 2035 2036 2037 2038 EV Replacements Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) Replacement Fleet EV Goal
Existing EV Fleet Existing ICE Fleet
The report also details the analysis assumptions, specific vehicle recommendations, financial and environmental impacts, and next steps. Please review this report and reach out to your Account Manager with any questions. Based on our analysis, converting 489 on-road vehicles to EVs is estimated to produce the following impacts:
Over 29 years, those estimated CO2 reductions equate to:
$9,778,034
eliminating
TCO savings over 29 years*
use for one year, or:
10,105 homes’ energy
$9,041,324
switching
fuel cost savings over 29 years*
incandescent lamps to LEDs, or:
3,339,174
$6,184,440
recycling
maintenance savings over 29 years*
instead of landfilling it, or:
87,873 metric tons (MT) of CO2 eliminated over 29 years
planting
29,877 tons of waste
1,449,905
trees.
*NPV assumes a 5% discount rate.
4 | Fleet Electrification Assessment
Fleet advisory services provided by
Fleet advisory services provided by
What is the environmental impact of your options and corporate social responsibility (CSR) implications?
Beyond economic considerations, electric vehicle fleet planning should align with an organisation's commitment to environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility. An airport should be able to quantify the GHG emission reduction that will result from EV fleet transition and how it will contribute to an airport’s efforts to be environmentally conscious. This alignment can enhance an airport’s reputation, attract environmentally conscious stakeholders, and contribute positively to its CSR goals. Additionally, the European Union is currently implementing its Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the potential SEC requirements for Climate-Related Disclosures make understanding and measuring Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions important and valuable for public and private enterprises in the United States.
Scalability and future-proofing
As technology evolves, it is essential to consider the scalability and future-proofing of the chosen electric vehicles, infrastructure, network, and service providers. Investing in charging stations and vehicles that can adapt to emerging technologies and industry standards ensures that the fleet remains competitive and compliant with changing regulations over the long-term.
Data integration
Effective fleet management relies on accurate data and real-time monitoring. Integrating electric vehicles into an airport’s fleet may require advanced telematics systems that can provide insights into energy consumption, charging patterns, and
EV fleet planning at Massport
On behalf of the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport), ICF developed an EV fleet assessment for Boston Logan Airport, Hanscom Field, Worcester Airport and each of Massport’s Port operations to evaluate the economic and GHG benefits of switching on and off-road vehicles to EVs as well as recommended the charging infrastructure that will be needed to support EV operation. We reviewed more than 1,000 individual asset – age and condition and made specific recommendations regarding car, light/ medium/heavy duty truck and off-road vehicle replacement, cost, timing, reduction in emissions, and cost savings over time. overall vehicle performance. This data-driven approach allows fleet managers to optimise routes, monitor battery health, and identify areas for operational improvement.
Final thoughts
Airport electric vehicle fleet planning is a multi-faceted process that demands a holistic approach and both internal and external information sources. By carefully considering elements such as infrastructure readiness, total cost of ownership, range and charging speed, vehicle selection, data integration, regulatory compliance, employee engagement, scalability, environmental impact, and collaboration with stakeholders, airports can pave the way for a successful and sustainable transition to electric vehicles. In doing so, airports not only contribute to the global effort to combat climate change but also position themselves as leaders in the evolving landscape of environmentally responsible business practices.
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SPECIAL REPORT: SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability 2.0
RS&H’s Ben Moore and Nathan Stinnette discuss the importance of sustainability management plans and getting sustainability programmes to take-off at US airports.
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ustainability is increasingly seen as a critical facet of airport planning, but getting sustainability programmes to take off at airports is no easy feat, requiring substantial effort in data collection and management, planning, engagement, implementation, and reporting. Adding to the challenge, the sustainability landscape is becoming more complex over time, as evolving concepts like environmental, sustainability and governance (ESG) reporting, electrification, net-zero programmes, and resilience planning come to the forefront. In this article, we take a sustainable management planning 2.0 approach to address the major emerging trends shaping aviation sustainability.
Importance of sustainability management plans
In the last 10 years, many airports in the US have developed sustainability plans, often funded by FAA grants. Sustainability plan have generally taken two forms, a Sustainability Management Plan (SMP) or a Sustainable Master Plan, which integrates sustainability with a conventional airport Master Plan. Both types of plans provide positive sustainability results for airports – reducing greenhouse gas emissions, conserving energy, and water use, improving waste diversion, and delivering cost savings. At RS&H, we have found SMPs are most effective when they establish and maintain a quantitative baseline for airport operations, engage airport staff in creating a sustainability vision, include SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) goals, develop detailed sustainability initiatives through a collaborative process, and include an implementation strategy. Sustainability communications efforts can also be addressed within an SMP. Finally, SMP’s should be regularly updated to support continual improvement of the airport’s sustainability programme. This sustainability 2.0 approach facilitates the constant innovation necessary to stay ahead of the curve in the fast-evolving world of airport sustainability. Leading sustainability programmes are using it as a platform to address the following trends, which our experience indicates are key to the industry’s efforts to minimise its environmental footprint and adhere to regulatory policy shifts.
Integrating ESG to support bond finance and insurance underwriting
There is a significant increase in airports focusing on ESG factors that impact their operations. RS&H has been instrumental in working with airports to reduce their environmental footprint and understand how ESG reporting plays a critical role in supporting bond finance and insurance underwriting for airports, including: • mitigating risks • minimising the cost of capital • boosting operational efficiency • demonstrating a commitment to sustainability
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Developing a comprehensive and visible ESG reporting strategy that demonstrates the airport’s efforts in boosting investor confidence is vital to position airports for bond finance and insurance underwriting. In 2022, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), the world’s busiest airport, was on the forefront of US airports that disclosed their environmental, social, governance and prosperity performance (ESG&P) to investors. Our team worked with ATL to develop their 2022 ATL Flying Forward ESG report in collaboration with airport leaders across the organisation. The report addressed ATL’s priorities, performance, risks, and opportunities across environmental, social and governance elements. The addition of prosperity to ESG drew attention to ATL’s role as an economic driver in the southeast USA region and highlights the airport’s commitment to increasing business diversity.
Electrification of various airport infrastructure
Electrification is transforming mobility, and the pace of change is accelerating. This trend is especially affecting airports as they are at the centre of connecting people and goods across the globe. As a result, they face pressure to provide a significant expansion of their electrification infrastructure from many stakeholders. Electrification can include installing electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) to support electric vehicles (EVs), ground support equipment (GSE) and electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOLs). One challenge can be the significant power demands for these vehicles, often requiring co-ordination with utilities and upgrades to existing electrical infrastructure. We carefully consider all aspects of integrating EV infrastructure, including planning, design, engineering, and construction administration. RS&H collaborated with the Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) on the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Forecast for Parking and ConRAC Operations study, a key facet of electrification growth for their parking and rental car operations. We conducted a forecast on the rapid pace of EV growth within the airport’s planning area and applied these trends to the airport’s parking facilities and used this analysis to assist CLT in understanding demand for EV charging infrastructure in its parking facilities through 2035. As one the first EV studies in the aviation industry, the recommendations from the study position CLT to move forward strategically with advanced parking facilities and a leading role in decarbonising landside transportation in an efficient and costeffective manner.
Striving towards net zero emissions
Airports are increasingly setting ambitious net-zero carbon goals, and realising these goals requires conducting greenhouse gas inventories to measure progress and developing climate action plans
SPECIAL REPORT: SUSTAINABILITY
Figure 1: SMP Development Steps
to drive emissions reductions. Increasingly, airports are using programmes like the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme to provide a rigorous, third-party verified approach to measuring their carbon footprint, implementing policies to reduce that footprint, and collaborating with stakeholders to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). For example, the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority (HCAA), is an active participant in the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme, working actively to reduce carbon footprints at Tampa International Airport (TPA) and Tampa Executive Airport. Both airports have reached Level 2 status in the programme, while HCAA’s remaining general use airports, Peter O Knight Airport and Plant City Airport have maintained Level 1 accreditation. RS&H assists in pursuing and renewing the HCAA’s Airport Carbon Accreditation while advancing the HCAA-wide Carbon Management Policy. This effort includes documenting the HCAA’s on-going commitment to managing and reducing GHG emissions, quantifying GHG emissions, documenting the implementation of Carbon Management Plan, and demonstrating a reduction in GHG emissions when comparing to the previous three-year rolling average. The Airport Carbon Accreditation programme provides a framework for airports to gain public recognition and enhance energy efficiency, which HCAA will leverage to further their carbon management effort.
Becoming resilient to threats
A new emphasis from FAA is for airports to become resilient to climate change threats and stressors. The Indianapolis International Airport (IND) has partnered with RS&H since 2018 to further its commitment to sustainability. The Indianapolis Airport Authority (IAA) was recently awarded a grant from the FAA to complete a comprehensive SMP incorporating resilience. As the co-lead of a team assisting IAA with the preparation of this plan, RS&H is working to identify both climate change and non-climate impacts, risks, and vulnerabilities to airport facilities, infrastructure, and operations and will identify opportunities to be more resilient to these potential conflicts. This effort will help IAA determine and justify future investments at IND that enable long-term sustainability and resilience.
This is the first time FAA has funded a resilience project that looks at climate and non-climate threats. We will take an exhaustive look at their assets and operations to score them for risks and vulnerabilities, and it is a very collaborative process. In the end, we will have recommendations the airport can adopt to be more resilient to those threats.
Managing growth through sustainable design and construction
Many airports are adopting a programmatic approach to sustainable infrastructure to ensure that growth and development is accomplished responsibly. RS&H has developed sustainable design and construction guidance for airports like San Antonio International Airport (SAT) and Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) to streamline integration with capital improvement programmes and project delivery processes. Third-party standards like LEED or Envision are useful tools to achieve project sustainability goals. Combined with a programmatic approach that sets sustainable infrastructure policies and procedures airport-wide rather than at the project level, they can elevate innovation, while meeting schedule and budget requirements.
Sustainability 2.0
Sustainability 2.0 is setting airports up to be leaders in transforming and decarbonising our economy and becoming the innovation hubs for transportation. Airports are a key part of the solution to reducing environmental impacts, but careful planning is needed to get their sustainability programmes ready for take-off.
AW
About the authors
Ben Moore is RS&H’s associate vice president/sustainability and resilience leader. Nathan Stinnette is the company’s urban greenhouse gas inventory specialist. For more information about RS&H’s sustainability management planning, send an email to ben.moore@rsandh.com.
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SPECIAL REPORT: SUSTAINABILITY
Destination net zero
SNC-Lavalin and Engineering Net Zero director, Isabelle Smith, shares insight on the challenges ahead and explains why data-driven decisions will be fundamental in achieving the industry’s green ambitions.
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he long, steady journey to reduce carbon emissions is becoming urgent. Against the unrelenting pressure of a changing, unpredictable climate, the task is enormous. Aviation accounts for 2.5% of global CO2 emissions, but its overall contribution to climate change is significantly higher when other non-CO2 gases, contrails and particulates are considered. Aviation emissions are also hard to abate, due to the hIgh cost and limited maturity of decarbonisation measures and technology. Aviation infrastructure also faces a physical climate risk, with 25% of the world’s busiest airports all situated less than 10 metres above sea level. This means that if we want to deliver sustainability in aviation, we will need to use assets more efficiently, more innovatively, and more collaboratively. We also need credible plans to retrofit and redesign this extensive asset base, changing behaviours and integrating new technologies. As net zero commitments draw closer each year, we need to start making intelligent investment decisions now in order to get programmes in place that will drive sustainability in the long run. Sustainable aviation in terms of airports is a particular challenge. Airports are highly operational clusters of buildings, underpinned and interconnected by complex utilities infrastructure. As quasi mini-cities, airports resemble industrial ecosystems more than a standard estate portfolio. They are the nexus of diverse aviation supply chains, fulfilling a critical, strategic role in the entire transport sector. And although airports contribute only a small share of aviation emissions, they stand at the vanguard of the transition, because decarbonising aircraft emissions is not possible without the right infrastructure and systems in place on the ground.
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What airports do, and when they do it, matters a great deal. Without a programme of broad, forward-thinking investment, the rest of aviation will not be able to decarbonise.
Onwards and upwards
Building a long-term strategy for decarbonisation is difficult enough, let alone actually deploying a programme of interventions at scale. While energy reduction typically has a quick return on investment (being measurable and quantifiable over the short-term), decarbonising means going beyond cutting down on power. Strategic leadership and commercial innovation are crucial. Writing, and acting upon, the commercial case for change will only be successful if interwoven with transparent, informed decision-making and a clear reporting process. Without an improved line of sight to the performance of assets, rooted in an adaptive framework for interventions and investment, decision-making will be neither clear nor confident. Decarbonisation of airports also demands a holistic view that connects the boardroom to the furthest end of the supply chain. Capturing and reducing emissions at scale will require an intricate, multi-disciplinary understanding of the processes that define complex organisations, engaging stakeholders and driving strategic intent into the wider supply chain. It will be vital to create new structures for collaboration and co-ordination. And it is airports that are in a privileged position to pave the way here, due to their economic weight, scope for innovation, and unique ability to lead collaboration across stakeholders. Strategic partnerships with net zero delivery partners are also becoming an increasingly important element of decarbonisation.
SPECIAL REPORT: SUSTAINABILITY
Setting up joint ownership of outcomes and deliverables can transform the planning process by embedding sustainability and streamlining the path to actually delivering it.
Adapting to a changing world
In a changing regulatory and energy landscape, flexibility is also fundamental. As the price of electricity fluctuates, interest rates rise or new green investment funds appear, powerful positive and negative effects will alter the commercial viability of long-term decarbonisation. That’s another reason why data-driven decisions are key. By scenario modelling macro-economic changes, and transparently demonstrating the sensitivity of a given roadmap, decision making is more informed – improving planning and resilience and mitigating risk. Roadmaps should be built upon high-quality data, and quickly adapt to environmental and economic changes. In an uncertain world, it’s all the more important that business cases are agile and reactive. We can start employing approaches that ascertain and deliver more sustainable value for money, alongside working with supply chains to realise far-ranging benefits. By illuminating the most impactful, valuable and cost-effective choices, and revealing the long-term risk of others, it’s possible to change direction by small turns, with targeted decision-making that both improves performance now and lays the foundation for future decarbonisation.
Airport opportunity
The airport’s importance to the energy system – and its future – is significant. Take Keflavik Airport, in Iceland, where Atkins-SNC Lavalin recently modelled an airport-wide energy transition to hydrogen. The report concluded that, to support that transition, all of Iceland’s energy generation and distribution would need to massively increase. And as emerging technologies mature, airports will be the critical enabler of airlines' ability to use fuel sources like SAF (which IATA estimate could make up around 65% of the emissions reduction needed by 2050) at scale. All of which makes airports a potent driver of energy transformation. That’s why we increasingly expect airports to take on the net zero challenge internally, creating micro-grids and future-proofing their own
utilities infrastructure, which may include transforming business models and becoming energy providers in their own right. Moreover, because airports are well integrated into local economies, and can act as an influential decision-making entity, they’re perfectly placed to work with governments, tapping into green funding and amplifying the effects of sustainability down through their diverse supply chains. If airports lead the way, they have the opportunity to cascade change throughout aviation.
Final call
Delivering net zero in a financially sustainable way is difficult. Technology alone is not a silver bullet, which is why we recently launched DecarbonomicsTM Airports, a service fully integrated with multi-disciplinary expertise. 'Decarbonomics Airports' is an emergent solution based on our existing Decarbonomics building platform. It combines multidisciplinary expertise with data science and digital technology, to help complex environments, like airports, identify where and how to reduce carbon – and confidently navigate towards sustainability. As more data is collected, a more accurate picture of an airports emissions starts to emerge, whether that’s from inside the terminal building or the ground fleet. Once you have benchmarks, a tailored roadmap can be created to start reducing emissions as efficiently as possible. That roadmap is also completely agile to the changing macro-economics that always exist in long term delivery programmes. However, data-driven delivery must coexist with enhanced human decision-making and problem solving. Without a clear line of sight into the impact of commercial decisions, and justification for taking them, transformation will be filled with uncertainty and risk. The road to net zero is no doubt a huge challenge, but also presents an exciting catalyst for change and transformation for airports and the wider aviation sector. If we can proactively identify and navigate the risks and opportunities, by applying data insights, we can look forward with AW optimism to a low-carbon future of travel.
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SPECIAL REPORT: SUSTAINABILITY
Green mission
Airport World takes a closer look at some of the sustainability stories making headlines across globe in the final quarter of the year. Taking Airport Carbon Accreditation to the next level
Amsterdam Schiphol, Christchurch, Göteborg Landvetter, Madeira, Malmö and Rotterdam The Hague airports are among the first 10 airports on the planet to achieve Level 5 certification in ACI’s Airport Carbon Accreditation programme. The new highest level in the programme builds on the trajectory of evolution set by the introduction of Levels 4 and 4+ in 2020 and provides further evidence of the airport industry’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint. Talking about Amsterdam Schiphol, the Royal Schiphol Group’s head of sustainability, Denise Pronk, enthused: “This accreditation is a significant milestone and it's in line with our ambition to be the most sustainable and high-quality airport in the world. “We lowered the CO2 emissions produced by our own activities by 90% compared to 2010. But we're not stopping there; we continue to work towards emission-free airports in 2030. “Schiphol and partners' electric ground equipment fleet is getting bigger and bigger, we run entirely on Dutch wind power, and the terminal and our buildings are gradually being taken off the gas grid. At the same time, we continue to work on making aviation more sustainable.” Fellow Royal Schiphol Group airports Eindhoven and Rotterdam The Hague were also among the first 10 airports in the world to achieve Level 5 Airport Carbon Accreditation. Eindhoven recently signed a long-term agreement with Shell to blend sustainable aviation fuel on all aircraft fuelled at the airport, starting from next year. “Sustainable fuel is essential for the future of aviation”, says RTM’s CEO, Wilma van Dijk. “This long-term agreement makes it possible for Shell to invest in production facilities while allowing airlines to gradually adapt to a new reality.” On Christchurch Airport’s top level ranking in ACI’s Airport Carbon Accreditation programme, sustainability transition leader, Claire
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Waghorn, said: “This is a moon shot moment for our team. This is a challenging sector to abate and no one is under any illusion – we have a whole lot more work to do to decouple carbon from aviation and make the zero aviation dream a reality. “However, we recognise the critical role that aviation plays, especially for isolated nations, and therefore are committed to being part of the solution. That’s why 90% of the work we do now focuses on how we can help other businesses, including our airline partners decarbonise. “As a business we are working hard. We are building a 400-hectare renewable energy precinct, Kōwhai Park, to provide the green energy low emission aircraft will need in the future.” The other gateways to achive Level 5 Airport Carbon Accreditation certification are Beja and Ponta Delgada airports in Portugal and ToulonHyères in France, which along with Madeira are all operated by VINCI Airports. Nicolas Notebaert, CEO of VINCI Concessions and president of VINCI Airports, said: “I am proud of what VINCI Airports’ teams have achieved in France and in Portugal. This is just the beginning, because climate action can’t wait. We are accelerating decarbonisation and making low carbon transition a priority to achieve net zero emissions on our direct emissions by 2030 at our airports in the European Union and at London Gatwick, and by 2050 for our network in the rest of the world.”
Milestone flight for Virgin, Heathrow and aviation
History was made at London’s Heathrow Airport on November 28 when a Virgin Atlantic B787 to New York became the first transatlantic flight powered by 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Flight 100 was powered by SAF made from waste fats which cannot enter the food chain. Repurposing waste products into jet fuel to cut emissions arguably provides the most immediate solution to help decarbonise the world's skies. Virgin Atlantic and their consortium were awarded up to £1 million of UK Government funding in December 2022 following a challenge
SPECIAL REPORT: SUSTAINABILITY
from the Department for Transport to support the industry in achieving the first transatlantic flight on a commercial aircraft powered by 100% SAF. Shai Weiss, CEO of Virgin Atlantic said: “The flight proves that Sustainable Aviation Fuel can be used as a safe, drop-in replacement for fossil-derived jet fuel and it’s the only viable solution for decarbonising long haul aviation.”
New solar farm for Queen Alia International Airport
The groundbreaking ceremony for a new 4.8 MWphotovoltaic (PV) solar farm was held at Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport (AMM) in early December. The new facility will be designed, built and operated by Shams al Mattar lil-Taqa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kawar Investment, under the terms of an agreement signed with AMM operator, Airport International Group (AIG), earlier this year. It will be located on 65,000sqm of unused land to the north of the Northern Runway and is expected to generate over 10.5GWh of electricity yearly, which will account for more than 24.5% of the airport’s operational energy requirements or the equivalent of powering over 3,000 homes. Equally as important, it will reduce AMM’s carbon footprint by around 12,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually. The solar farm is expected to begin producing electricity by Q3 2024. AIG CEO, Nicolas Claude, noted: “The establishment of this solar farm is a crucial step towards reducing our carbon footprint and propelling us as one of the largest solar-powered airports in the MENA region.”
Glasgow to boast Scotland’s largest airport solar farm
Work has begun on the creation of Scotland’s largest airport-based solar farm at Glasgow Airport, the £18.5 million will be built, owned and operated by Zestec Renewable Energy. Construction will take place over the coming months, with completion of the first phase expected in summer 2024. On completion the 19.9MW solar plant will produce enough energy equivalent to powering the lights of approximately 15% of homes in the city of Glasgow. Glasgow Airport’s operations director, Ronald Leitch, enthused: “The development of the solar farm marks a key milestone in
our sustainability journey by giving the airport the ability to generate clean energy on-site. “This will advance our plans to decarbonise our own operations while supporting the net-zero ambitions of our airport partners and neighbours. Importantly, it also creates the foundation to turn the airport into an energy hub and allows us to progress our plans to support zero emission flight.”
San Diego building climate resilient future
San Diego County Regional Airport Authority outlines its commitment to the environment and being a good neighbour in its latest annual Sustainability & DEI Report. The Environmental section focuses on ways in which the airport authority is building towards a climate resilient future through seven programmatic areas including water stewardship, carbon neutrality, clean transportation, climate resilience, zero waste, biodiversity, and sustainable energy. “The New T1 epitomises our commitment to focusing on the environmental, social, and economic influence we have on our region, and we strive to ensure that each step we take leads us toward a more sustainable and prosperous tomorrow,” enthused airport authority president and CEO, Kimberly Becker.
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Open for business
Announcements, news stories and opinions from ACI World Business Partners across the globe.
Rebuilding Kyiv’s Boryspil International Airport AECOM has signed a memorandum of understanding to act as the reconstruction delivery partner for the rebuilding of Boryspil International Airport (KBP) and support the reconstruction of the broader aviation sector in Ukraine. Boryspil is Ukraine’s largest airport and handled nearly 9.5 million passengers prior to the closure of Ukraine’s air space at the start of the Russian invasion. “We are proud to extend our support to the reconstruction of Ukraine with this partnership to restore the nation’s aviation sector – supporting the flow of critical resources and investment to drive recovery,” said Troy Rudd, AECOM’s chief executive officer. “With our programme management and aviation capabilities, we look forward to working with Boryspil International Airport to restore this strategically important airport and Ukraine’s aviation sector.”
Paradies Lagardère embraces digital screens and LED walls Paradies Lagardère is collaborating with digital signage solutions provider, Creative Realities, to give a unique new look to some of its 700 plus retail and restaurant locations at more than 90 airports across North America. The utlisation of dynamic digital screens and LED walls designed and installed by Creative Realities is expected to enhance the overall ambiance of individual outlets with seasonal and environmental content while promoting specific products and in-store sales. "We believe in offering travellers more than just products; we offer a full and engaging experience,” said Chris Tennyson, senior director of interior design and visual merchandising at Paradies Lagardère.
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AECOM will provide infrastructure advisory support for the reconstruction of KBP including asset condition and capability assessment, design, engineering, programme management, and construction management. Additionally, the company will assist in developing a programme management capacity for the broader reconstruction of the nation’s aviation sector. Oleksiy Dubrevskyy, director general of Boryspil International Airport, said: “The memorandum marks another important milestone for the recovery of Ukraine’s aviation sector and is part of the global plan for restoration and modernisation of national airports and the aviation industry, which was developed under the auspices of the Ministry of Community, Territory and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine.”
RUNNING WBP NEWS HEAD ACTM NETHERLANDS
Membership Region: Europe Type of Business: Retail & Commercial W: www.actm.com ACTM is an independent and global management consulting firm specialising in the commercialisation of airports and in retail. Our services include Traffic development; Consumer & retail; Parking management; Advertising; Cargo logistics; Real estate; Performance management and Talent management.
Honolulu opts for SITA Smart Path solution Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) has become the latest airport in the United States to adopt the SITA Smart Pathsolution to support US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in fulfilling its congressional mandate for biometric passenger screening on international exit. SITA has implemented 54 face pods across Terminals 1 and 2, which are available to all international passengers, providing each with a touchless process that further secures and streamlines international departures. If a traveller cannot be matched to a photo on record through Biometric Exit or chooses to opt out of the process, they can proceed through the traditional inspection process consistent with existing requirements for departure from the US.
Using SITA Smart Path powered by NEC’s biometric face capture solution, passengers step up to a camera at the boarding gate to verify their identity and board in seconds. Matthys Serfontein, SITA president for the Americas, said: “We are confident that SITA’s US Exit will greatly enhance the passenger experience at HNL while laying the foundation for an extended biometric passenger experience in the future.” Jason Van Sice, vice president of aviation for the NEC Corporation of America, said: “Together, SITA and NEC have consistently demonstrated our expertise in similar projects worldwide, highlighting how our joint automation capabilities can elevate customer experiences (CX), enhance operational efficiency, and increase security measures.”
ABM expands partnership with LaGuardia Gateway Partners New outlets open at Pheonix Sky Harbor
InMotion and Uptown Phoenix are the latest WH Smith North America (WHSNA) operated retail stores to open inside the brand-new S1 Concourse in Terminal 4 at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX). The new InMotion store – the brand’s fourth location at PHX – carries the latest tech products from brands such as Apple, Bose, Beats, Sony and GoPro. While Uptown Phoenix offers those travelling to and from the Phoenix area a convenient marketplace to shop for anything they might need on their journey, including gifts, books, wellness products, tech, apparel, beverages, snacks and a full grab & go assortment.
BLACK BOX NETWORK SERVICES
Membership Region: North America Type of Business: IT & Communication W: www.bboxservices.com
Black Box Network Services is a leading communications system integrator dedicated to designing, sourcing, implementing, and maintaining today's complex communications solutions. Our proven history since 1976, combined with our global footprint, diverse capabilities, solid financial standing, and deep commitment to provide the best technical solutions and support in the industry make us a superior resource for our customers.
L3 SECURITY & DETECTION SYSTEMS
ABM has been selected by LaGuardia Gateway Partners (LGP) to provide comprehensive integrated facility services and best-in-class traveller experiences at LaGuardia Airport’s new Terminal B. They are confident that the new agreement will provide a safe, seamless, and consistent experience for guests, while driving long-term asset preservation, efficiency, sustainability, and diversity across the 1.3 million square foot facility. As a result, ABM will provides a single-source solution across various facility operations, including engineering, janitorial and maintenance services; kerbside, mobility, and transportation services; guest experience programme development, among other support areas. ABM says that providing these offerings under one umbrella ensures greater service consistency and efficiency throughout the terminal.
Membership Region: North America Type of Business: Security W: www.L3Tcom.com/sds
With more than 50,000 systems deployed and supported around the globe, L-3 Security & Detection Systems (SDS) is a leading supplier of security screening solutions. For more than 30 years, L-3 SDS has developed and manufactured cutting-edge products using advanced technologies that include 3-D computed tomography; automated, conventional and high-energy X-ray; active millimeter wave imaging; metal detection; and energetic trace explosives detection.
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PPG to open new lounges at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport
Plaza Premium Group (PPG) is making its debut in Southwest China with the opening of three lounges at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (CKG). The new Plaza Premium Lounges, opening between November and early 2024, are the latest inclusions in its expansive network that spans over 80 international airports worldwide. All three CKG lounges will be located in Terminal T3A, and are said to embodyPlaza Premium Group's promise of comfort, convenience, value, and love and care.
“For 25 years, the mission of PPG has been to make travel better by offering exceptional airport hospitality experiences enthused PPG's regional general manager for North Asia, Jenny Zhang. “Our latest lounges in Chongqing emplify that ethos by not only providing a calm and comfortable venue, but infusing local culture through our unique art and food collaboration.” The first of the lounges opened airside in November in Pier E opposite Gate E09. It will be followed by another airside lounge in Pier H and a landside facility in Level 5 Departures.
Chicago Midway unveils new bars and restaurants
SSP America has opened a collection of restaurants and bars at Chicago’s Midway International Airport (MDW), with the majority located in a food court area called the Central Market. The collection is comprised primarily of local brands consistent with SSP America’s focus on bringing a ‘taste of place’ to the airports its serves. It has operated at MDW since 2017, and the new openings represent the latest development in SSP America’s efforts to elevate the culinary experience for MDW travellers. The percentage of Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (ACDBE) involved with the project makes the operation an
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industry leading programme with total percentage of ACDBE participation at almost 60%. SSP America is a member of Midway Partnership, a joint venture that also includes Vantage Airport Group and Hudson, which was selected by the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) to lead a $75 million transformation of Midway’s concession programme. “SSP America and its local, minority partners have been true partners in delivering our ambitious vision to transform the traveller experience at Chicago Midway,” says Midway Partnership's Sammy Patel.
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The Design Solution to support Bristol Airport expansion The Design Solution (TDS) has been appointed to provide specialist support in commercial planning and design for the latest expansion of Bristol Airport, which will increase its capacity from the current 10 million passengers per annum to 12mppa. The project is the fifth time that TDS has supported Bristol’s development in a relationship going back over 25 years. The UK airport’s latest project is focused on its terminal building, increasing space in the Departures area by designing the use of voids and internal roads to create an improved terminal. The project will enhance the quality of the passenger experience while also supporting the development of the airport’s current two levels of commercial space. Bristol Airport’s infrastructure director, Andrew Goodenough, said: “Bristol Airport has a proven, highly proactive approach to
driving the efficiency of its operations, consistently focusing on the quality of the passenger experience and the airport’s vital role in the region. “Our latest expansion programme has been driven by the increased demands of both leisure travellers and business needs across the region and we are delighted to have the specialist planning support of The Design Solution once again. “The airport’s growth to 12 million passengers per annum will create thousands of new jobs in the years ahead, open up new direct air links and further support inbound tourism. We are integrating a range of enhanced environmental projects in this expansion and will continue to develop the airport in a responsible way while maintaining our commitment to being a net zero airport operation by 2030.”
Sydney Airport utilises Veovo’s advanced technology platform Veovo believes that Sydney Airport has taken a significant step in enhancing its operational performance by rolling out its Intelligent Airport Platform. The company notes that the investment in a new operations system comes at a crucial time as air traffic rebounds to pre-pandemic levels, requiring the airport to operate smoothly, minimise delays in aircraft turnaround and maximise terminal and airside capacity use. The new platform has been designed to improve efficiency, reliability and collaboration across the airport by automatically integrating and verifying data from various sources like air traffic, baggage handling, and airlines into a central Airport Operational Database (AODB). This data is then presented with a ‘manage by exception’ approach, offering insights to airport staff and aviation partners through a user-friendly web portal, with personalised alerts and recommendations supporting quicker and better-coordinated decision-making. The deployment also included the modernisation of the airport’s Flight Information Display System (FIDS), delivering relevant
information to more than 1,250 digital displays across Sydney Airport’s terminals to keep travellers well informed. Veovo CEO, J ames Williamson, said: “Sydney is one of the world’s most important airports, and we are delighted to support them on their mission, through the provision of our latest advanced Intelligent Airport Platform. We are very proud to be partners in delivering this core capability.”
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HUMAN RESOURCES
PEOPLE
matters Sustainability: The social pillar
Richard Plenty and Terri Morrissey reflect on the human factor in sustainability.
W
e are very proud to say that this article marks the completion of 10 years of ‘People Matters’ columns that we have written for Airport World. We didn’t expect the column to be in demand for so long, but as things have turned out, people challenges have become increasingly crucial for airports, the format has been attractive and the column a success. Since ‘People Matters’ started in January 2014, we have written 60 articles on a wide range of people challenges relevant to airports. That meant 60 times when we had to decide what to write about, how to research the topic, and how exactly to work together on the article; 60 occasions when we had to agree on what line to take and what we wanted to say; 60 periods we drafted and redrafted until we had a final version which met our standards; and 60 ‘moments of truth’ when we had to deliver the finished product to a deadline and for critical review by the editor, Joe Bates. As we reflect on our experience, it is clear to us that even for such a comparatively simple task, the human effort and skills required to sustain a consistent standard of delivery are significant. Quite apart from the technical skills of the writing itself, there is a need for collaboration, an ability to juggle priorities, and the self-discipline and drive to see the job through to completion. And as with many jobs done over a long period, resilience is key. There are always occasions when there are distractions and difficulties which make it hard to focus. It helps that we feel that the work we are doing is worthwhile and that our contribution is appreciated. We need to keep a positive mindset and attitude.
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How is this relevant to airports? Many of the same considerations apply – and the human factor is even more important in this complex work setting. Many people need to work together to deliver sustainable high performance. Attitudes and behaviour are crucial. People with a sense of emotional commitment to their airport and its purpose can transform the passenger experience. A recent publication (2023) by ACI EUROPE’s Leadership and HR Forum, People Engagement Guide, aims to provide a practical, easy to follow and implementable approach to developing the kind of culture which supports this sustainable high performance mindset. It brings together findings from research, best practice and collective experience from European airports. It focuses on how to create the kind of positive, inclusive, people-oriented environment that can help all those who work for airports to feel motivated and enthusiastic about both their organisations and the work that they do. Organisation culture is but one aspect of the ‘social pillar’ of sustainability, which many airports are now addressing. Other elements include community engagement, corporate social responsibility, diversity, equality and inclusion and governance. Leading and managing the changing and complex environment and the uncertainties that the future holds will also require collaboration, innovative thinking and interdependent teamworking. The traditional Human Resources function’s remit has enlarged to include all of these aspects along with ensuring the long term viability of the organisation. We hope to be around ourselves for a few more years to continue to map and comment on these exciting challenges.
The Royal Schiphol Group has annouced that Pieter van Oord will become its new CEO next summer. He will succeed Ruud Sondag, who will stay on until March 1, 2024, at which point he will no longer be available due to other commitments. In the period March to June 2024, CFO, Robert Carsouw, will serve as interim CEO. Another incoming CEO who won’t be onboard until mid-to-late 2024 is Gilles Rufenacht, recently named as the retiring André Schneider’s successor at Geneva Airport. He will assume the role in the autumn of 2024. Elsewhere in Europe, Christian Poulsen, has been confirmed as the new CEO of Copenhagen Airports. He has served as acting CEO since Thomas Woldbye’s departure to London Heathow, and will take up the role on a permanent basis from January 1, 2024. LaGuardia Gateway Partners (LGP), the manager and developer of LaGuardia Airport’s new Terminal B, has named Klaudia FitzGerald as its new chief operating officer. Carrie Hurihanganui, chief executive officer of Auckland International Airport Limited and Dr Kijmanawat Kerati, president of Airports of Thailand have been elected to the board of ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East.
About the authors
Terri Morrissey and Dr Richard Plenty run ACI’s Human Resources training. They received a Presidential Citation from the American Psychological Association in June 2022 for their leadership in advancing global psychology. Contact them at info@thisis.eu
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