Airport announces zero carbon ambition

Birmingham Airport has announced a commitment to become a net zero carbon airport by the year 2033, prioritising zero carbon airport operations and minimising carbon offsets.

The Midlands airport says it has already cut its carbon emissions since 2013 by 33%, and emissions per passenger by over 50%, despite growing passenger numbers by 40 per cent.

The airport says its biggest opportunity to reduce its carbon footprint is via on-site renewable energy generation but says it “doesn’t have all the answers yet”.

Nick Barton, Birmingham Airport’s chief executive, said: “Technology is changing at some pace and the movement to a net-zero economy itself is driving innovation across the energy and transportation industry, and we are going to take advantage of this.

“Over the next six to twelve months we will be working to revise our existing carbon management plan and develop a roadmap. This will allow us to set and prioritise genuine carbon reduction objectives rather than carbon off-setting schemes, as we see this as the least favourable option.

“We don’t have all the answers about how we will hit this target, but we are confident that through innovation and collaboratively working with industry, government, manufacturers, on-site partners and employees, we can reach our target by 2033.”