Aviation Sustainability and the Environment, CAPA 22-Jan-2020

Gevo, Inc. (NASDAQ: GEVO), a leading sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) producer, welcomed the news of Alaska Airlines' and Washington state Governor Inslee's support of Washington's low carbon fuel legislation.

"The Pacific Northwest, and the Seattle area in particular, is a leader to make our world more sustainable. The value to decarbonize and reduce greenhouse gas emissions is real," stated Patrick Gruber, Chief Executive Officer of Gevo "The legislation that Governor Inslee proposes, which is supported by Alaska Airlines, would be expected to make the Pacific Northwest more attractive for, and a production location of, the new generation of fuels. We see that there are potential attractive production sites in the region given the abundance of renewable resources available. In 2016 Gevo was the first to make and supply wood based jet fuel that was used by Alaska Airlines. In 2019 we were awarded the opportunity to supply the City of Seattle with advanced low carbon fuels for their fleet automobiles. We see tremendous potential in the state of Washington. Every drop of sustainable low-carbon fuel we get into the market is a win and helps to change the conversation about what is possible for the future."

In November 2019, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) and the Low Carbon Fuel Coalition (LCFC) launched a joint initiative to drive adoption of renewable fuel policies in US states. The organizations will work to advance policies that will support green energy breakthroughs to decarbonize transportation, which leads all other sectors in greenhouse gas emissions.

California has also been leading the way in decarbonizing its transport sector. Since implementing its comparable low carbon fuel standard in 2011, the state has prevented over 50 million tons of carbon from being emitted. The California LCFS program has made a tremendous impression on other communities attempting to reduce their carbon footprint. There are several states, such as New York, that have already adopted, or are considering adoption of, LCFS-like programs.

Certificación emitida por el ACA (Airport Carbon Accreditation)

Nos es grato comunicarles que Aeropuertos del Perú obtuvo la acreditación de Nivel II de Huella de Carbono al Aeropuerto Internacional de Pisco, emitido por el ACA (Airport Carbon Accreditation), que reconoce los esfuerzos del Aeropuerto de Pisco por gestionar y reducir las emisiones de dióxido de carbono asociadas a la actividad aeroportuaria.

In an effort to promote quieter skies around Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), officials announced the launch of a new initiative aimed at incentivizing proactive efforts by large commercial airlines to fly as quietly as possible at LAX.

The Fly Quieter program will evaluate airlines annually based on scoring from a variety of criteria, including compliance with LAX noise abatement procedures, the use of quieter aircraft and new technology, as well as engagement with local community groups and other stakeholders. The program is part of Los Angeles World Airports' (LAWA) ongoing commitment to address community concerns about aircraft noise that may affect neighborhoods surrounding the airport.

"Effectively addressing aircraft noise requires a collaborative partnership among the airport, the airlines and the community," said Samantha Bricker, Chief Environmental and Sustainability Officer, LAWA. "With the Fly Quieter program, we have a new tool to promote awareness and incentivize compliance with our policies and procedures with the goal of reducing aircraft noise for our surrounding communities."

The airport will begin working with large commercial airlines in early 2020 to evaluate their current fleets and operating procedures as they relate to noise. The airport will monitor noise levels of the flights themselves, consider the noise levels of the types of aircraft operating at LAX, and evaluate other voluntary procedures that could reduce aircraft noise impacts in adjacent communities. Airlines will be evaluated within groups determined by the number of flights, both departing and arriving, at LAX.

LAX officials will collect data and engage with each airline over the course of the year to allow airlines to improve their scores by taking proactive noise reduction and/or stakeholder engagement efforts before finalizing the annual scores and publicly recognizing the airlines that make the most substantial efforts to address aircraft noise.

Passenger numbers reached a new high of 9.1 million in 2019. In the last four months of the year, there was a slowdown in year-on-year growth. Express freight, an important service segment for the regional economy, also increased. Cargo traffic, on the other hand, showed a year-on-year decline overall. EuroAirport has defined its Strategy 2030 on the basis of sustainable development.

In 2019, the debate on reducing aviation's climate impact became yet more important across Europe, and, of course, for EuroAirport too. In particular, the issue was included in EuroAirport's Strategy 2030, which was adopted by the Board of Directors in June 2019. The strategic mission of Basel-Mulhouse Airport is to ensure air transport connections between the trinational region and the major European cities while respecting the principles of sustainable development. Demand for efficient air transport in the trinational region remains strong. The challenge for the airport is to find a balance between the economic demands of the region, the noise protection needs of the airport's neighbours and an environmentally conscious population, and the social responsibility it has as being one of the largest employers in the trinational region. Harmonizing the economic, social and ecological dimensions of sustainability is the guiding principle for all activities at EuroAirport. The airport has therefore defined the following strategic fields of action: customer focus, sustainability and the environment, safety and security, and Franco-Swiss cooperation.

Express freight, an important area of activity at EuroAirport, grew again in 2019: 2 percent more express freight from and for the region was handled in Basel-Mulhouse. Cargo business, on the other hand, was down by 14 %. The proportion of air freight transported by road feeder service likewise fell (by 5.9 percent). Overall, freight business was down by 3.7 % year on year, to 106,075 tonnes. EuroAirport is thus in line with the trend for declining freight traffic that can be observed throughout Europe.
In the third strategic area of business, industry, 2019 saw the start of construction work on the fifth hanger of AMAC Aerospace. The hangar is expected to be completed in 2020. Employing over 2,000 people, the industry business sector makes a significant contribution to regional value creation at the airport site.
EuroAirport expects passenger and freight numbers to stabilise at the 2019 level over the coming year.

Sustainability and the environment: the central challenge of noise abatement

In terms of aircraft noise between 11 p.m. and midnight, when air traffic has the biggest impact on neighbours' quality of life, the goals set in spring 2018 could not yet be achieved with the measures taken on its own authority. The airport's management has therefore decided to take further steps, in collaboration with the authorities, to reduce noise significantly during the second hour of the night. This will be done within the framework of the legally prescribed procedure of the "balanced approach" in accordance with EU Regulation 598/2014. In September 2019, two independent consultancy firms began preparatory work on behalf of the aviation authorities. In doing so, they are interviewing more than 90 airport partners, including representatives of municipalities, cantons, airlines and residential associations. The final interviews will be completed by the end of January 2020. On the basis of the results, the EuroAirport Board of Directors will apply to the French aviation authorities for more enhanced noise abatement measures in spring 2020.

In the long term, a "limiting noise curve" should be defined as a prerequisite for the further development of EuroAirport. This would limit the maximum permissible noise which will not be able to be exceeded, even for expansion and optimization initiatives. At the instigation of the airport, the measure originally planned for 2022 in the French environmental noise prevention plan (PPBE) is being brought forward. Work has already begun to ensure planning security with regard to future noise development as soon as possible.

With regard to its own carbon footprint, EuroAirport is following an action plan with the aim of reducing its own CO2 emissions per traffic unit (one passenger or 100 kg of freight) by 20 percent with regard to 2015 levels by 2022. As part of the Airport Carbon Accreditation certification system, EuroAirport is continuously analysing its scope to further reduce CO2 and optimizing its own operations.

Safety and security: ongoing enhancement

The continuous improvement of safety processes is one of EuroAirport's strategic fields of action. In 2019, the airport constructed additional control points for the French and Swiss border police in order to reduce waiting times for passengers at passport control on departure and arrival levels. In addition, capacity was increased at security checkpoints in hall 1 on the French side. The first systems for automatic passport control were installed at the end of the year.

Franco-Swiss cooperation: 70th anniversary of a binational success story

In 2019, representatives of France and Switzerland came together to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the treaty that continues to form the basis of the first and only binational airport in the world. The close involvement of our German partners is also essential to this success story. Several central projects for the future embody EuroAirport's cross-border positioning as a gateway to the entire trinational region. The planned rail link, for example, connects the cross-border French TER and Swiss S-Bahn networks. Once it becomes operational, the new direct link between France and Switzerland will make day-to-day travel much easier and lead to a marked shift from road transport to rail in particular. In a second step, the airport will also enjoy direct connections with Germany when the "Herzstück" in Basel starts operating.

The rail link to Basel-Mulhouse airport will thus significantly improve the quality of accessibility and increase the proportion of public transport. Planning work will continue in 2020. Following the necessary consultations and official approval of the project, construction work is planned between 2024 and 2028.

Après une expérimentation réussie sur 500 places depuis plus d'un an, le système de parking robotisé extérieur développé par Stanley Robotics et VINCI Airports à l'aéroport de Lyon, connaît une nouvelle phase de déploiement. Sur la base d'un accord qui vient d'être conclu entre les deux partenaires, ce parking très innovant va être étendu à 2 000 places à l'été 2020. Cette innovation mondiale participe à l'amélioration de la qualité de service pour les passagers et aux enjeux de développement durable de l'aéroport.

Réelle innovation mondiale, le premier parking extérieur entièrement géré par des robots, développé par Stanley Robotics et VINCI Airports, continue de se déployer à l'aéroport de Lyon, et va ainsi passer de 500 places en exploitation à 2 000. Il sera alors opéré par 7 robots autonomes fonctionnant en simultané et 28 boxes permettront d'accueillir et de restituer les véhicules.
Le partenariat entre Stanley Robotics et VINCI Airports, qui date de 2017, a pour objectif à terme de s'étendre sur plus de 6000 places.

Une expérience passager sans couture
Avec ce système de robot-voiturier, plus de perte de temps pour chercher une place disponible ou retrouver son véhicule. Après avoir réservé en quelques clics sa place de parking sur le site de Lyon Aéroport (https://store.lyonaeroports.com/parking-automatique), le passager dépose son véhicule dans un box dédié, pour ensuite rejoindre les terminaux via la navette située à proximité immédiate. Le robot-voiturier vient alors prendre en charge la voiture, pour la stationner sur le parking sécurisé. A son retour, le passager récupère son véhicule disponible dans l'un des boxes.
Les avantages sont multiples : sécurité, simplicité et gain de temps. Grâce à cette nouvelle technologie, se garer devient une expérience agréable qui ne prend que quelques minutes pour les passagers, qui peuvent ainsi voyager l'esprit tranquille ! Bien plus qu'un assistant voiturier, le dispositif révolutionne non seulement la gestion des véhicules sur un parking et facilite l'expérience passager globale, mais il permet également de réaliser de véritables économies d'espace grâce à la gestion en multi-files.

Réduction de l'emprise au sol et réduction des émissions : une innovation durable
Le projet de robot-voiturier développé avec Stanley Robotics à l'aéroport de Lyon s'inscrit dans la vision de développement durable de VINCI Airports :
⇨ Il réduit l'emprise au sol en permettant à terme de créer 50 % de places supplémentaires sur la même superficie grâce à la densification du stationnement et au stationnement multi-files. L'intégrité des sols environnants est ainsi préservée.
⇨ Il limite les émissions de CO2 en supprimant la circulation des véhicules des passagers qui cherchent une place sur les aires de stationnement. Les robots utilisés fonctionnent avec un moteur électrique qui n'émet pas de CO2. On estime ainsi que sur une année, et pour 2 000 places, l'émission d'environ 100 tonnes de CO2 sera évitée.

Chiffres clés des 500 places déjà disponibles via le robot-voiturier :

Nombres d'utilisateurs depuis l'ouverture du service :
➔ 8 000
Nombre d'utilisateurs par mois :
➔ Il augmente en permanence et se situe actuellement à environ 750/mois
Taux de satisfaction moyen des utilisateurs depuis l'ouverture
➔ 95% déclarent souhaiter utiliser à nouveau le service [source: questionnaire envoyé par l'aéroport aux passagers ayant utilisé le service]
Nombre de km parcourus par les robots depuis l'ouverture du service
➔ 2 000 km

Nicolas Notebaert, Directeur Général de VINCI Concessions et Président de VINCI Airports, déclare : " En tant que premier opérateur privé au monde, nous suivons une stratégie industrielle ambitieuse, au bénéfice des passagers, sur l'ensemble de nos 46 aéroports dans le monde. Une stratégie qui s'appuie sur 2 piliers : l'expérience clients et l'innovation. Lyon Aéroport déploie de manière exemplaire cette stratégie et pour cette raison, il est devenu un des 3 centres d'excellence pour l'innovation de VINCI Airports dans le domaine de l'expérience client. Ce rôle permet notamment de décliner sur d'autres aéroports du réseau VINCI Airports les innovations testées à Lyon. "

Tanguy Bertolus, Président du Directoire de Lyon Aéroport déclare : " Le projet du robot voiturier de Stanley Robotics développé à Lyon répond aux objectifs stratégiques de Lyon Aéroport d'amélioration de l 'expérience client et de réduction de l'impact environnemental de l'activité de la plateforme aéroportuaire. Ce projet contribue à l'atteinte des résultats tout à fait remarquables obtenus dans ces deux domaines par Lyon Aéroport, nommé en 2019 premier aéroport européen dans la catégorie 10 à 25 millions de passagers par l'association des aéroports européens (ACI) et certifié neutre en émission carbone pour ses activités (ACA 3+). "

Clément Boussard, CEO of Stanley Robotics, déclare : " Cet accord représente une étape majeure du développement de notre projet de référence sur le site de l'aéroport de Lyon, et de notre service. L'ouverture de 2000 places montre à quel point nous avons franchi de grosses étapes de maturité avec un produit de plus en plus professionnel. Nous sommes fiers d'avoir su convaincre un acteur industriel aussi exigeant que VINCI Airports de poursuivre avec nous ce déploiement. Il s'agit d'une avancée significative dans l'histoire de notre jeune entreprise, qui nous permet aussi d'être très confiants sur notre plan de conquête du marché aéroportuaire et de concrétiser d'ores et déjà d'autres projets. "