Five years of testing, learning and collaboration. Key projects & learnings
September 2026
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“
A shared ambition for sustainable aviation Over the past five years, Stargate has turned ambition into concrete action. We have been able to test innovative technologies in daily airport operations, learn what works and what still requires further development. We actively share that knowledge with other airports so that the whole sector can become more sustainable more quickly. Lots of what we have tested today within the framework of Stargate will become the standard practice at European airports tomorrow. Stargate has been a success, which could only be achieved thanks to the good collaboration between all partners. We will continue to work towards a more sustainable airport with the same conviction and ambition.
Arnaud Feist CEO, Brussels Airport Company
“
Five years of testing, learning and implementing Stargate brought together more than 150+ people from different organisations, disciplines and countries, united by one shared ambition: making aviation more sustainable. What made this project special was the way partners combined their expertise and turned collaboration into tangible progress. Across airports and across very different areas of innovation, new connections were created, knowledge was exchanged and ideas were moved forward together. I am especially proud of the commitment and openness shown by everyone involved. My sincere thanks go to all partners and contributors who helped shape Stargate. The partnerships and experience built through the project are a lasting result in themselves and a strong basis for what comes next.
Charlotte Verreydt Senior Project Manager & Coordinator for Stargate, Brussels Airport Company
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STARGATE AT A GLANCE
5
years of testing, learning and collaboration
European partners
€24,8M
30+
European Green Deal funding
4
Airports (BRU - ATH - BUD - TLS)
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23
projects tested
150+ people involved
CONTENT Over five years, Stargate brought more than 30 innovative projects to life. This brochure showcases a selection of the ideas, achievements and lessons that are helping shape the future of aviation.
MODAL SHIFT.................................................................................................06 Making the journey to and from the airport more sustainable.
TERMINAL INTERVENTIONS.......................................................................08 Reuse, circularity and smarter building management.
DECARBONISATION .....................................................................................10 Cleaner fuels and lower-emission airport operations.
LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ..........................................................12 Measuring and reducing impact on surrounding communities.
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MODAL SHIFT
Every airport journey begins before you reach the terminal. Through Stargate, airports tested how better information, cycling infrastructure, shared mobility and public transport can make more sustainable choices easier.
RETHINKING THE JOURNEY TO THE AIRPORT Increase accessibility and sustainable transport to the airport. Understanding travel behaviour is one thing. Turning those insights into practical action is another. That is where the Sustainable Airport Mobility Plan (SAMP) comes in. Toulouse Airport and Brussels Airport applied the SAMP to better understand its mobility patterns and define the next steps towards more sustainable airport access.
Giving cycling a real chance Cycling does not grow through one project alone. It grows when someone keeps asking the same question: what does this mean for cyclists? At Brussels Airport, the Bike Manager brought that focus into daily improvements and a long-term cycling roadmap. Together with the Province of Flemish Brabant and airport partners, the effort helped connect routes, improve facilities and keep cycling visible in wider airport strategies. By listening to cyclists, using data and removing practical barriers, Stargate helped make the bicycle a more realistic and attractive way to reach the airport.
Your last kilometres by bike With 50 bikes at nine locations, employees and visitors could move between the train station, car parks, offices, workplaces and mobility hubs. By making the last kilometres easier, shared bikes help connect different transport modes and make car-free journeys more practical.
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When train and flight become one journey
Self-driving shuttle meets airport reality
The journey from Paris to a long-haul flight in Brussels does not have to start at the airport. The train can be part of the trip. Rail and air can strengthen each other when the journey feels seamless.
A self-driving shuttle sounds simple: get in and let it drive. But at an airport, it must move safely among staff, service vehicles and… aircraft.
Brussels Airlines explored whether high-speed rail could replace certain short feeder flights, short flights that bring passengers to Brussels Airport for a long-haul connection, especially between Paris and Brussels. The study showed that rail can provide the same connection in a more sustainable way, while keeping long-haul destinations easy to reach. For that to work, the journey must feel seamless: clear booking, reliable connections, smooth check-in and luggage handling without extra hassle. The lesson is clear: passengers are open to rail when train and flight work together as one journey.
Brussels Airport tested an electric self-driving shuttle to carry staff on the tarmac and on public roads. The goal was simple: see how it performs in real airport conditions, not just in a test setting. The results were promising. Users appreciated the comfort and convenience, but also asked for better route coverage, more frequent service and clearer information. The test showed that autonomous shuttles could become a sustainable last-mile solution. But technology alone is not enough. For self-driving transport to become part of everyday airport life, people need to trust it and regulation, operations and technology still need to move forward together.
Can a cargo vehicle drive itself too? An autonomous electric tow tractor was tested to move cargo and baggage containers along fixed airside routes, while an operator keeps watch.
Where attention goes, progress follows Sustainable mobility does not move forward through a single breakthrough; it grows through hundreds of small decisions, made by passengers, employees, operators and airports every day. What encourages someone to cycle? What makes rail a realistic alternative? How can unavoidable car journeys have less impact? And which new technologies deserve a closer look?
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Through Stargate, airports turned these questions into real-world experiments. Not every solution will work for every airport, but every experiment gave the same answers. Together they showed something important: more sustainable mobility starts when we pay attention to how people actually travel.
TERMINAL INTERVENTIONS Think of the terminal as a living organism. Before changing its habits, you first need to understand how it behaves. Effective monitoring is essential to understand how systems are performing and identify opportunities for improvement.
Meet the airport’s twin The Digital Twin, developed by IES, creates digital copy of the airports in Brussels, Athens, Toulouse and Budapest. Teams can test the impact of renovations, energy-saving measures and future changes before putting them into practice.
“ The Digital Twin gives
confidence in airport net zero investment decisions.
Giulia Barbano
Research & Innovation Operations Manager at IES
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”
The best waste is the waste you never create Thousands of tonnes of waste pass through airport terminals every year. Stargate explored how smarter sorting, reuse and circular solutions can help reduce waste and keep materials in circulation for longer.
“ A simple liquid bin
can protect an entire recycling stream.
”
Charalampos Kavouras
Supervisor Water at Waste & EMS, Athens International Airport
Smarter waste flows Better sorting starts with making the right choice easier. At Brussels Airport, 480 waste bins were mapped and different sorting cues were tested. A simple apple-shaped opening made organic waste immediately recognisable and improved correct sorting by 32%. At Athens International Airport, dedicated liquid bins showed big effects: less liquids in the waste stream, lighter waste and a better chance that plastic can be recycled properly.
Reuse instead of waste
From waste to new products
Not everything needs to become waste after a single use. A reusable cup trial achieved a 64% return rate, while 264 boxes of products that could no longer continue their journey at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport were donated to NGOs.
Some waste streams can even become raw materials for new products. At Brussels Airport, 1,123 kg of used coffee grounds were collected and transformed into 1,200 reusable travel mugs, each containing 30% recovered coffee grounds.
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DECARBONISATION Stargate explored how airports can promote the wider use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel. SAF blends conventional jet fuel with a component from more sustainable sources such as used cooking oil, waste materials or renewable sources.
POWERING TOMORROW’S FLIGHTS WITH SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL (SAF) Turning waste into a valuable resource Used cooking oil is the ideal feedstock for SAF production. Quatra expanded and optimised its collection network, helping secure more of this valuable waste stream for reuse.
Optimising the use of SAF How do you introduce a new fuel into one of the world’s most complex transport systems? Together with Skytanking, airlines and fuel suppliers, partners tested a mobile blending solution to explore how SAF can fit into real airport fuel operations. The mobile installation blends SAF with conventional jet fuel and can be deployed where needed, allowing different fuel mixes to be tested under real operating conditions.
Making SAF better understood Surveys in Belgium and Greece showed that awareness of SAF is still low, but attitudes became more supportive once SAF was explained. Clear, practical information proved key to building understanding and support. Scan to play SAF Game
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Scan for SAF Experience
Explore SAF yourself through Brussels Airport’s immersive SAF experience or Budapest Airport’s SAF Game.
DECARBONISING AIRPORT OPERATIONS Cleaner fuels are one piece of the puzzle. Airports can also cut emissions through the vehicles and ground equipment that support every flight. Electrification is often the answer, with hydrogen and biofuel filling the gaps.
Electrifying operations Electrification is one of the most efficient ways to reduce emissions from airport operations. But first, airports need to test whether electric Ground Support Equipment can perform reliably in day-today operations. At Brussels Airport, DHL introduced electric GSE into its cargo operations, while Athens International Airport tested electric vehicles in airside operations.
Electric refuelling, proven on the ground Skytanking tested an electric refuelling dispenser as a quieter and lower-emission alternative to a diesel-powered vehicle. Over two years, it completed more than 8,000 refuelling operations, showing that electric refuelling can perform reliably under demanding airport conditions.
Exploring hydrogen Going electric is not always possible. Some vehicles are too large or require more power than the grid can provide. Hydrogen offers potential where electrification is not feasible. At Brussels Airport, VIL, WaterstofNet, DHL and MULAG tested a hydrogen-powered towing tractor, supported by a mobile refuelling station in daily cargo operations. Studies at Brussels Airport and Athens International Airport confirmed hydrogen’s potential for selected applications, while highlighting the need for infrastructure, viable business cases and sufficient demand.
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LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY An airport is never an island. It is part of a wider neighbourhood, where people live and work. Stargate combined data, research and real-world testing to better understand its impact, test what can be done differently and create shared benefits for surrounding communities.
GOOD NEIGHBOURS SHARE MORE THAN A BOUNDARY
and modelling “ Monitoring make invisible air quality impacts visible.
Stijn Vranckx
”
Senior Researcher Air Quality at VITO
A smoother way to land
Making the invisible visible
Together with air traffic controller skeyes, Stargate tested more predictable arrival routes, allowing aircraft to stay higher for longer and descend in a more continuous path. A smoother descent can reduce noise, fuel use and emissions.
VITO used highly sensitive sensors to measure ultrafine particles in and around Brussels Airport. Combined with weather and airport activity data, these measurements helped create detailed maps of local air quality. Less engine power on the ground Aircraft normally use their own engines to travel between the gate and the runway. With the TaxiBot, Brussels Airport, TUI and Aviapartner tested a different way of moving aircraft between the gate and runway, while pilots remain in control. The trials also helped identify where and under which operational conditions the TaxiBot can make the biggest impact.
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TURNING AIRPORT RESOURCES INTO ENERGY Sustainability does not stop at the airport boundary. Stargate explored how airport resources, from solar power to organic waste, could create renewable energy and deliver benefits for neighbouring communities.
What if your airport becomes your energy supplier? During a one-year pilot, 85 households in four neighbouring municipalities received locally generated solar power from Brussels Airport at a reduced price. The project showed how airport-generated renewable energy can create value beyond the airport boundary.
MOVING CARGO WITH LESS IMPACT
Cargo partners put digital solutions into practice across the cargo chain. Digital Green Lane cut truck waiting times by around 20 minutes per visit, while eCMR replaced seven pages of paperwork per shipment with a digital consignment note. The Inspection Management App allows inspections to be planned when shipments are actually ready, avoiding unnecessary waiting. RFID technology was also tested to automatically identify and track cargo as it moves through different handling points. From leftovers to local energy Could airport food waste become a source of renewable energy? Stargate explored using a biodigester to turn organic waste from the airport and neighbouring municipalities into biogas. The concept proved technically feasible, although current waste treatment costs remain a barrier.
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Together, these solutions make cargo flows faster, more predictable and easier to coordinate, with fewer unnecessary movements around the airport.
ONE SHARED DESTINATION THE NEXT CHAPTER HAS ALREADY BEGUN Many innovations tested in Stargate are becoming part of reality. Sustainable aviation fuel use is growing. Electric operations are expanding, and technologies such as hydrogen and autonomous vehicles continue to gain momentum.
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MORE SUSTAINABLE AVIATION The path towards more sustainable aviation relies on many technologies and solutions. Stargate allowed us to test many of these innovations and share what we learned with the wider aviation community, accelerating the transition to more sustainable aviation.
KEEP EXPLORING The story continues. Follow how Stargate’s projects, learnings and innovations live on beyond the programme. Scan the QR code to explore the Stargate legacy.
www.greendealstargate.eu/projects
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One lighthouse and three fellow airports
Airport community partners
Knowledge institutions & academics
Consultants in energy, mobility & digitalisation
Specific partners
www.greendealstargate.eu