Green Fleet Magazine has named London Heathrow Airport’s vehicle fleet as ‘Private Sector Fleet of the Year’, under the medium to large category.
Heathrow Airport has invested millions in its electric vehicle infrastructure over the past five years helping to reduce emissions at the airport by 16%.
The airport plans to cut emissions even further by investing £5m (US$7.7m) to ensure that every car or small van in its fleet is electric or hybrid by 2020. This initiative could reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 100 tons each year from the airside fleet alone.
Heathrow has also been shortlisted for the ‘best in passenger transport’ category at the National Air Quality Awards, and for the ‘Energy Management Award’ in the forthcoming Edie Sustainability Leaders Awards.
Matt Gorman, director of sustainability and environment, London Heathrow, said, “We are honored to receive these awards, particularly as they recognize the work that we have done in the past few years to improve Heathrow’s air quality and reduce our emissions, but we are committed to doing more to be a good neighbor. Even with expansion, we can meet air quality limits, and carbon targets, and ensure a bigger Heathrow can be a better neighbor.
“Road traffic, particularly in the M4 and M25 junctions around the airport continues to be the greatest contributor to poor air quality, but the majority of this – over 80% – is not airport related. While we have been recognized for making some progress and plans for transformational public transport will change the way many people travel to and from the airport, we cannot solve the air quality problems in West London without the collaboration of City Hall and the government.”
