London Luton Airport (LLA) has been awarded Level 3 of the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) scheme – the global carbon management framework for airports, which is managed by Airport Council International (ACI).
Having joined the ACA at the end of 2019, the airport has progressed to Level 3 in just 18 months, following its collaboration with key stakeholders to develop a plan to reduce emissions at the airport.
Overall, the airport has reduced direct carbon emissions by more than 30%, despite a 23% increase in passenger numbers between 2016 and 2019. It has achieved this reduction through various activities including: switching to a 100% renewable electricity supply, which includes sources such as solar, wind and hydroelectric power; upgrades to air handling units to increase efficiency; reducing the number of lights across the site and switching to more efficient LED equivalents; and installing a new heating system, which has resulted in 16% reduction in gas consumption.
While the Level 3 carbon accreditation is a major milestone, Alberto Martin, CEO at LLA acknowledges there is still work to be done. ” We remain committed to reducing our carbon emissions across both our operations and the site itself,” he said.
The airport is determined to achieve carbon neutrality for its own operations by no later than 2026 and is currently developing a carbon reduction strategy to achieve net zero emissions by 2040.
