IGA Istanbul Airport is continuing to move forward with their “net zero” roadmap as the report finds a 13% reduction of Emissions in 2022, following a 21% drop in emissions in 2022 compared to 2019. It is expected that Scope 1 and 2 emissions will be reduced by 23% by 2025, and iGA is also developing projects to reduce Scope 3 emissions, which are those produced by the airport stakeholders. The airport also met 35% of their water consumption using reclaimed water and solid waste recycling increased from 31% to 34%.
Focus on the Planet, Target for the Future
Their motto is “Focus on the Planet, Target for the Future!”. IGA Istanbul Airport continues to work towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to “leave a more liveable world for future generations”. The airport has won awards for their efforts such as the carbon accreditation certificate from the Airport Carbon Accreditation Programme (ACA), and the Eco-Innovation award for their studies on operational efficiency and energy.
In terms of their social impact, iGA Istanbul Airport continues to provide passengers and customers with a world-class experience. They have won both the World’s Most Family Friendly Airport and the Best Airport Shopping Experience awards at the 2022 World Airport Awards. Readers of Condé Nast Traveller voted Istanbul Airport as the World’s Best Airport and won the Accessibility Enhancement Accreditation award by the ACI.
The CEO of IGA Istanbul Airport, Kadri Samsunlu commented on the report. He stated that sustainability had always been a priority for the airport and 2022 was a year “where we advanced our efforts and took our sustainability journey to new heights”. Samsunlu divulged that IGA Istanbul Airport measured “sustainability impacts, engaged in long-term planning, and restructured our goals and our sustainability management system” within the extent of their 2030 plan.
Samsunlu went on to say;
“With the motto, “Focus on the Planet, Target for the Future!’ we set out to work towards bringing the mobility methods of the future to the present by focusing on the benefits of technology for people and the environment, to ensure a comfortable and safe journey for all our guests at this meeting point of diverse cultures”.
Heathrow Pursuing Own Sustainability Objectives
In comparison to another European airport, Heathrow in London published in their 2022 Sustainability Report that 17% of their airport vehicles produce zero emissions and in 2023, they plan to open up a charging hub in Terminal 2. When it comes to net zero in the air, Heathrow stated that they published findings in November 2022 which looked at the “UK domestic market potential for zero-carbon-emissions” and concluded that hydrogen-fuelled flights “could dominate domestic air travel by 2040”.
Heathrow has also received approval from the SBTi for their 2030 carbon reduction goals, and have launched an SAF incentive scheme which means the majority of airlines can commit up to 10% SAF by 2030. The scheme is “expected to save over 81,000 tonnes of CO2”.
In Sum…
While there are still a lot of challenges for airports to overcome regarding sustainability, such as the continued reliance on jet fuel, both Istanbul Airport and Heathrow are taking steps to improve their carbon footprint and become more environmentally friendly.
