Hot on the heels of the recent COP22 climate negotiations has come the announcement of two airports becoming carbon neutral: Manchester airport in the UK and Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi International airport in India. This brings the total number of carbon neutral airports around the world to 27, while the overall programme now counts 176 airports across the four available levels of certification.
Over the last decade, Manchester airport has significantly reduced the energy it uses, saving the same amount of energy as used by 10,000 homes each year. In addition, the airport has invested more than £7.5m in energy efficiency projects, working with local and national businesses to develop innovative lighting solutions. The award-winning energy management team have now installed more than 25,000 low energy LED lights throughout the airport, including the first on any UK runway. Collectively, these initiatives have reduced emissions from the energy and fuel used to operate the terminals, runways and facilities at Manchester airport from 72,000 tonnes of CO2 in 2006 to zero in 2016.
Meanwhile, in India, Hyderabad airport has become only the country's second carbon neutral airport.
Today, some 37% of air passengers worldwide are travelling through airports certified under the four levels of the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme.
