Vilnius Airport in Lithuania has received Level 3 of ACI Europe’s Airport Carbon Accreditation program, in recognition of its efforts to reach zero emissions from its operations by 2030.
In 2021, Vilnius Airport completed an airfield renovation project to increase its operational efficiency and sustainability. This included the refurbishment and installation of taxiways to reduce aircraft taxiing times, as well as the electrification of aircraft parking areas. A 25kW solar power plant was also installed on the VIP terminal and conference center building.
Looking to the future, the airport aims to have its entire fleet running solely on electricity or biodiesel by 2030, with plans to gradually offer passengers an expanded network of charging stations for electric vehicles, increasing the number of cars that can be charged. By 2024, the airport intends to reduce the CO2 emissions per passenger by around a third, or achieve a reduction of approximately 1kg of CO2 per passenger. This compares to 2.52kg in 2015, 2.39kg in 2016 and 1.89kg per passenger in 2021. This phase will include introducing more sustainable processes in its own operations as well as its partners; this will take into account third-party airport operations, tenants’ electricity and heating costs, waste disposal and other aspects.
Kristina Greičiūtė, environmental project manager at Lithuanian Airports, said, “As we move from the first phase of the ACA program to the second phase, we have prepared a plan to reduce carbon emissions at Vilnius Airport. We have taken real environmental steps – from upgrading lighting systems to more efficient solutions, to renewing the fleet with hybrid cars, to installing solar power plants and buying green electricity for our own use. Improvements in the overall efficiency of energy management at Vilnius Airport have had a significant positive impact on the implementation of the second and third phases of the ACA. We aim to gradually upgrade all vehicles operated by the airport, to increase the share of hybrid vehicles, and, very importantly, we are already looking for opportunities to deploy solar power plants more actively on our premises.”
Olivier Jankovec, CEO of ACI Europe, said, “We are pleased with the progress Lithuanian Airports are demonstrating in this environmental program. Vilnius Airport is now entering the third level of the program, which means that not only the airport but also its partners will be directly involved in the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. Kaunas and Palanga airports have also shown real progress in actively reducing emissions from direct airport operations. I am pleased that Lithuanian airports are showing leadership in the Baltic region.”
Aurimas Stikliūnas, interim CEO of Lithuanian Airports, said, “The leadership in the Baltics is the result of carefully planned and consistently implemented steps to modernize a wide range of activities. The fact that all three Lithuanian airports are successfully participating in the environmental program, which unites 235 airports from all over the world, is a significant achievement in the history of Lithuanian aviation. We have been implementing complex actions to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in our direct operations for a number of years, and we will continue to do so even more actively, and in the near future, we will also involve our partners operating at the capital city’s airport. Reducing carbon dioxide emissions is one of the strategic goals of Lithuanian Airports, and Vilnius’s ambition is to continue its leadership and become the first airport in the Baltic States to achieve carbon neutrality in its operations.”
