Germany’s Frankfurt Airport has been re-certified for 2020 according to European Airport Carbon Accreditation, and its CO2 reduction confirmed by independent experts.
Operator Fraport has been systematically implementing stringent climate targets since 2008. For the 11th consecutive year, Fraport has received climate certification for Frankfurt under the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) program. Launched by the Airport Council International (ACI) Europe, the ACA program assesses how successful airports are decreasing their carbon footprint.
ACI Europe’s Airport Carbon Accreditation program consists of four climate certification levels for airports: Mapping, Reduction, Optimization, and Neutrality. Assessments for granting the certification are carried out by independent experts. For 2020, Fraport again achieved the Optimization level for Frankfurt Airport. Compared with 2001, Frankfurt Airport cut its CO2 emissions by more than 40% – the equivalent of some 127,000 metric tons.
Fraport’s head of environmental management, Dr Wolfgang Scholze, said, “In 2008, we set international standards by contributing to the development of the ACA climate protection program. In 2009, we were the first airport operator in the world to be certified.” In addition to Frankfurt, six more airports in the Fraport Group are now certified under the ACA program.
In 2018, Fraport’s carbon footprint for Frankfurt Airport amounted to 188,631 metric tons of CO2 . The 2019 figure is forecast to be at around 175,000 metric tons. “We are making consistently good progress,” stressed Scholze. Over the next 10 years, Fraport intends to cut its CO2 emissions at Frankfurt Airport to 80,000 metric tons a year. The company is striving to fully reduce emissions and be CO2-free at Frankfurt by 2050.
Steps to achieve this goal include implementing the airport’s first large-scale photovoltaic system by mid-2020 at a new cargo warehouse in CargoCity South. More and more apron vehicles are being gradually replaced by zero-emission alternatives, and Fraport is currently testing two electric buses for passenger transportation at the airport.
Moreover, Fraport intends to invest in wind and solar energy. The goal is for Frankfurt Airport’s power requirements to be met almost entirely by renewable energy sources.
