Aviation Sustainability and the Environment, CAPA 07-Jan-2021
Qatar Airways Cargo to announce 'Chapter 2' of WeQare sustainability project
Delta Air Lines: Carbon neutral commitment continues to be 'top priority'
Wizz Air CO2 emissions per pax/km up 17% in 2020
Dublin Airport achieves Level 3+ carbon neutrality status
Seoul Incheon Airport commissions hydrogen filling station
This CAPA report features a summary of recent aviation sustainability and environment news, selected from the 300+ news alerts published daily by CAPA. For more information, please contact us.
Qatar Airways Cargo to announce 'Chapter 2' of WeQare sustainability project
Qatar Airways Cargo introduced (06-Jan-2021) the WeQare sustainability project based on the core pillars of environment, society, economy and culture. Measures will be implemented across all levels of the airline's business.
The project will be launched in 'Chapters', with Chapter 1 launched in Jul-2020 and comprising the free transport of 1000 tonnes of humanitarian aid and medical equipment for charitable organisations.
Qatar Airways chief officer cargo Guillaume Halleux stated: "We are deeply concerned about the legacy we leave for the future generation. As a leading cargo carrier, we want to make CSR a key strategic element of our business and want our positive actions to have a ripple effect".
Chapter 2 will be announced in Jan-2021. [more - original PR]
Original report: Qatar Airways Cargo is giving back to the communities through WeQare, its sustainability project
The world's leading cargo carrier introduced its sustainability project, WeQare, that consists of a series of positive and impactful actions in the form of chapters. These actions are based on the core pillars of sustainability - environment, society, economy and culture. They are being implemented at all levels of the cargo carrier's business which is a real turning point for air freight and will make the cargo carrier's operations more sustainable, going forward.
"We are deeply concerned about the legacy we leave for the future generation. As a leading cargo carrier, we want to make CSR a key strategic element of our business and want our positive actions to have a ripple effect. Keeping this in mind, we are proud to present WeQare, a project close to the heart of every Qatar Airways Cargo employee," said Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo at Qatar Airways.
Last July, Qatar Airways Cargo launched Chapter 1 in its series of WeQare actions by providing the free transport of 1 million kilos of humanitarian aid and medical equipment to charitable organizations. Chapter 2 will be announced this month.
To commemorate this important programme, the cargo carrier also released a special logo. Its tree patterns symbolise life and growth, the environment and our society as a whole. The tree patterns are enclosed within a round shape representing the planet. All of these elements are united around a common or shared purpose - sustainability.
The cargo carrier's employees are the driving force behind WeQare, a project that encourages cohesion and also provides a sense of fulfilment. All chapters launched throughout the programme are directly linked to everyday activities of the cargo carrier, its daily experience within the industry and its way of rethinking the business model, with sustainability as the main focus.
Delta Air Lines: Carbon neutral commitment continues to be 'top priority'
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian reported (01-Jan-2021) the carrier's commitment to becoming a carbon neutral airline "continues to be a top priority".
Mr Bastian added Delta's USD1 billion, 10 year investment in sustainable technology and practices "remains intact". [more - original PR]
Original report: Ed Bastian memo: Delta 2021
The start of the new year is always an exciting time at Delta, as we set ambitious goals and make plans to achieve them. It's an opportunity to chart the course for another year in which we will keep climbing on our journey to serve our customers, colleagues and communities while connecting the world around us.
The beginning of 2021 is no different. Once again, we have ambitious goals for the next 12 months, and they are centered around our core values: taking care of our people and our customers. While I am optimistic this will be a year of recovery, the continued uncertainty of the pandemic means we'll need to be nimble, ready to adjust our course and adapt to an ever-changing environment.
It's likely that we'll experience two distinct phases during the next 12 months. The first will look a lot like 2020, with travel demand deeply depressed and our focus on ensuring the health and safety of our people and customers. The second phase will begin only when we reach a turning point with widely available vaccinations that spur a significant return to travel, particularly business travel. We continue to expect that we will achieve positive cash flow by the spring.
Because of the uncertainty ahead of us, we are not unveiling a traditional Flight Plan today. Instead, I want to outline some guiding principles that will drive our decisions in the months ahead.
Protecting people above all. While we have high hopes that vaccinations will tame the virus this year, we also know that the next few months may be the most difficult yet. Cases continue to rise amid the winter weather, and COVID-related deaths are tragically at an all-time high. Keeping our people, our customers and our communities safe has never been more important. Our health and safety protocols, developed in collaboration with partners like the medical experts at Mayo Clinic, will continue to focus on masks, regular testing, self-assessments for symptoms, social distancing and cleaning to help stop the spread and save lives.
Harnessing innovation and agility. As difficult as 2020 was, in many ways I expect the next 12 months to be even more challenging. Just as we've never experienced a global pandemic in our history, we've also never had to create and execute a plan for recovery from one. We will be building a new Delta centered on a medical and economic recovery that hasn't yet taken shape. While our long history has taught us much, our success will depend on our collaboration, our willingness to be open to new ideas, our ability to adapt and our humility in recognizing that we won't always know the answers.
Customers leading the way. Listening to our customers and acting on their feedback has always been central to our business model, and it will be essential this year as we begin to rebuild. Our mission of connecting the world has been reaffirmed by the events of the past year, but we don't yet know what travel demand is going to look like when it rebounds. We need to be nimble as consumers make the path forward clear. Simply re-creating the Delta from 2019 won't be an option; our customers will give us the blueprint for the Delta of 2021 and beyond.
Living our values. We must never lose sight of the greater purpose that drives us. Delta's commitment to becoming a carbon-neutral airline continues to be a top priority, and our $1 billion, 10-year investment in sustainable technology and practices remains intact. Likewise, our focus on becoming a racially just and equitable organization will be front and center this year, as will our efforts to strengthen the communities where we live, work and serve. Even amid the pandemic, our shared values require us to continue to battle inequity, economic disparity and climate change.
While the immediate future remains cloudy, we've been well-served by our response in 2020 and our focus on protecting people, building our cash reserves and working to safeguard our future. No airline is better positioned than Delta to emerge stronger from this crisis and lead our industry in the years ahead. I believe we will see 2021 as a turning point that results in an even stronger, customer-focused and successful Delta that will connect the world for generations to come.
As we move into the new year, please stay focused on taking care of yourselves and your loved ones. With the promise of successful vaccines on the horizon, it can be tempting to let our guard down, which makes this point in time particularly dangerous. By wearing your masks, getting tested regularly and following safety procedures, we'll continue to protect our families and communities in what we all hope will be the final months of the pandemic. And, as always, we can never let our commitment to operational and flight safety waver.
I know how difficult 2020 has been, and I can't express just how much I appreciate the sacrifices and dedication of our people. Your passion, professionalism and hard work have positioned Delta to successfully lead our industry into recovery in 2021.
I wish you and your loved ones a safe, joy-filled new year.
Wizz Air CO2 emissions per pax/km up 17% in 2020
Wizz Air reported (05-Jan-2021) it emitted 1.8 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2020, a decrease of 50.5% year-on-year. CO2 per passenger/km increased 17.0% to 67.1g during the period. [more - original PR]
Excerpt from original report: DECEMBER 2020 TRAFFIC AND CO2 EMISSION STATISTICS
Wizz Air Carried 665,000 Passengers at 32% Capacity and 56% Load Factor
Wizz Air Holdings Plc ("Wizz Air"), the fastest-growing European airline, today announces passenger and CO2 emission statistics for December 2020.
In December 2020, Wizz Air continued to grow its network and improve its customer offering as follows:
- The announcement of six additional new routes between Doncaster Sheffield, Gatwick and London Luton bases and destinations in Turkey, Bulgaria, Spain and Greece.
- Wizz Air continuously operates at the lowest CO2 emissions per passenger/km amongst all competitor airlines, with 67.1 grams per passenger/km for the rolling 12 months to 31 December 2020. For the month of December, emissions in grams per passenger/km were 44% higher than last year due to the drop in load factor, while total CO2 emissions in tonnes decreased at a slightly higher rate than capacity.
Dublin Airport achieves Level 3+ carbon neutrality status
Dublin Airport announced (30-Dec-2020) it has been formally designated as carbon neutral by the global Airport Carbon Accreditation programme, and achieved Level 3+ carbon neutrality status.
The airport stated it is the first airport in Ireland to achieve carbon neutral status and has done so following an extensive programme of activities to reduce and offset its carbon emissions in recent years.
Dublin Airport MD Vincent Harrison stated: "carbon neutrality is not enough. We must go significantly further, and we are dedicated to doing that. We plan to reduce our overall energy consumption by a further 30% by 2030 and we're committed to becoming net zero for our carbon emissions by 2050 at the latest". [more - original PR]
Original report: Dublin Airport Becomes Carbon Neutral
Dublin Airport has been formally designated as a carbon neutral airport as part of a globally recognised environmental programme.
Dublin Airport is the first airport in Ireland to achieve carbon neutral status and has done so following an extensive programme of activities to reduce and offset its carbon emissions in recent years.
The airport reduced its carbon footprint by 12% between 2018 and 2019 and has reduced its overall carbon emissions by 25% between 2013 and 2019, despite a 63% increase in passenger numbers during the same period. The accreditation was based on data from 2019.
Dublin Airport has introduced a wide range of energy management measures in recent years that allow it to monitor and improve its overall energy use across the campus. The use of building management systems, the installation of efficient LED lighting, a pilot solar farm project and a range of other measures have all helped the airport to significantly reduce its overall energy consumption.
In 2019, Dublin Airport had reduced its energy consumption levels by 48% compared to the average consumption levels in 2006-2008.
"Dublin Airport is committed to minimising its impact on the environment and achieving carbon neutrality is a hugely important milestone on that journey," said Dublin Airport Managing Director Vincent Harrison. "We have been working tirelessly to reduce the amount of energy that we use at the airport for many years and are very pleased with the formal recognition of carbon neutral status. But carbon neutrality is not enough. We must go significantly further, and we are dedicated to doing that. We plan to reduce our overall energy consumption by a further 30% by 2030 and we're committed to becoming net zero for our carbon emissions by 2050 at the latest."
Dublin Airport committed to net zero carbon by 2050 last year along with almost 200 other European airports in a landmark move for the airport industry. The deadline of 2050 was aligned with the decarbonisation strategy set out by the European Commission and adopted by the Council of the European Union.
Dublin Airport's future plans include moving all its light vehicle fleet to Low emission vehicles (LEV) by 2024 and building a second solar farm on campus, with the potential to generate up to 7.5 megawatts of power.
Dublin Airport has been formally designated as carbon neutral by the global Airport Carbon Accreditation programme, which is a global carbon management certification programme for airports. The programme independently assesses and recognises the efforts of airports to manage and reduce their carbon emissions.
To achieve its Level 3+ carbon neutrality status, Dublin Airport had to work to reduce CO2 emissions from the sources under its control as much as possible and to compensate for the remaining residual emissions through investment in internationally recognised high-quality carbon offsets.
Before investing in offsets, carbon neutral airports at Level 3+ of the Airport Carbon Accreditation scheme have to provide evidence of undertaking all the actions required by the programme, such as mapping their emissions, reducing them and engaging other stakeholders on the airport campus to do the same.
To help achieve its carbon neutral status, Dublin Airport has been working with the global climate finance and carbon neutrality specialist Natural Capital Partners to purchase carbon credits from an improved water infrastructure project run by Irish NGO Vita in East Africa. The credits provide essential funds to restore community water points and enable easy access to clean water for rural families in Ethiopia and Eritrea.
By drilling new boreholes or repairing existing ones, communities no longer need to boil their water to purify it and this reduces pressure on local forests - the main source of firewood - and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
Dublin Airport is Ireland's main international gateway and plays a key role in the Irish economy. The connectivity it provides underpins Irish trade, tourism, and foreign direct investment. According to a 2019 Economic Impact Study, Dublin Airport supports and facilitates almost 130,000 jobs in the Republic of Ireland and generates €9.8 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) to the Irish economy.
Seoul Incheon Airport commissions hydrogen filling station
Incheon International Airport Corporation commissioned (05-Jan-2021) a hydrogen filling station at Seoul Incheon International Airport near terminal 1 on 04-Jan-2021.
The station was developed by Hydrogen Network Energy Corporation. [more - original PR - Korean]
Original report: 인천공항 내 첫 수소충전소, 1월 4일부터 운영 개시 !!!
□ 인천공항공사, 수소에너지네트워크㈜와 함께 인천공항 하늘정원 인근에 수소충전소 구축 … 2021.1.4.부터 연중무휴 운영 예정□ 인천공항공사, 내년 상반기까지 두 번째 수소충전소 추가 구축 추진 … 수소차, 수소셔틀버스 도입 확대로 그린 모빌리티 선도한다
인천국제공항공사(사장직무대행 임남수)는 인천공항 제1여객터미널 인근에 구축한 인천공항 내 첫 수소충전소가 2021년 1월 4일부터 운영에 들어간다고 밝혔다.
인천공항 수소충전소는 하늘정원 인근 부지(운서동 3212번지)에 위치하며, 오전 8시부터 오후 10시까지 연중무휴로 운영될 예정이다.
인천공항 수소충전소 구축 및 운영사업은 국내 수소차 보급 확산을 위한 환경부 주관 민간보조 사업의 일환으로, 정부기관, 인천국제공항공사, 민간 사업자가 긴밀히 협력하여 이뤄낸 성과이다.
앞서 공사는 지난해 7월 수소충전소 전문운영기업인 수소에너지네트워크㈜와 업무협약을 체결하고 수소충전소 구축 및 운영 준비를 진행해 왔다.
이번에 오픈하는 수소충전소는 시간당 25kg(승용기준 5대)를 충전할 수 있는 사양으로, 인천공항을 이용하는 수소차 이용객의 편의 향상 및 지역 내 수소차 보급 확대에도 크게 기여할 전망이다.
또한 공사는 내년 상반기 운영을 목표로 수소버스와 수소(승용)차가 동시에 충전 가능한 국내 최대 규모(1,000kg/일)의 인천공항 내 두 번째 수소충전소를 제2여객터미널 인근에 구축해 수소 인프라 확대를 선도해 나간다는 계획이다.
이를 위해 공사는 지난 5월 현대자동차㈜, 에어리퀴드코리아㈜, 수소에너지네트워크㈜와 '인천공항 수소충전소 설치 및 운영을 위한 업무협약'을 체결한 바 있다.
뿐만 아니라 공사는 인천공항에서 운영되는 수소충전 인프라를 기반으로 2021년 1월부터 업무용 수소차 84대 및 수소 셔틀버스 7대를 도입하고, 2025년까지 10대의 수소 셔틀버스를 추가로 도입하는 등 그린 모빌리티 확대를 통한 저탄소 친환경 공항 구현에 적극 앞장선다는 계획이다.
인천국제공항공사 임남수 사장직무대행은 "인천국제공항공사는 수소충전소 인프라 확대와 함께 수소차 및 수소 셔틀버스 도입을 통해 저탄소 친환경 공항 구현에 적극 앞장서고 있다"며 "앞으로 수소충전소 및 전기차 충전 인프라를 확대하고 공사, 항공사, 조업사 등 인천공항 내 운행차량을 친환경차량으로 100% 전환하도록 노력함으로써 그린 모빌리티 선도공항으로 도약해 나갈 계획이다"고 말했다.