ACI EUROPE has unveiled a sustainability framework for airports at a Tashkent seminar, broadening the focus beyond decarbonisation to include resilience, biodiversity, accessibility and communities.
ACI EUROPE has launched its Sustainability Strategy for Airports 2.0, a framework designed to help airports build sustainability into their operations, investments and long-term business strategies.
The strategy was unveiled at the Joint ACI EUROPE and ICAO EUR/NAT Environmental Protection Seminar in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. It follows the first ACI EUROPE Sustainability Strategy, published in 2019, and reflects how the airport sector and the sustainability agenda have changed since then.
Decarbonisation remains central. However, ACI EUROPE says the long-term resilience of airports now also depends on climate adaptation, biodiversity, circular resource use, sustainable mobility, accessibility and community engagement.
The association pointed to progress since 2019. A total of 328 European airports now have public net zero roadmaps, covering nearly 83 per cent of European passenger traffic. Another 297 airports are certified under Airport Carbon Accreditation and more than 100 are targeting net zero by 2030 or earlier.
Olivier Jankovec, Director General of ACI EUROPE, said: “European airports have come a long way since we launched our first Sustainability Strategy in 2019. Decarbonisation has moved from commitment to delivery, with hundreds of airports now working towards net zero and investing in cleaner energy and infrastructure.”
Seven key areas
The strategy sets out practical actions, key performance indicators, airport case studies and regulatory guidance across seven areas: decarbonisation and energy transition; climate adaptation and resilience; local environmental quality and community impacts; circular economy and resource management; biodiversity, land use and airside ecology; sustainable mobility and accessibility; and people and community.
It also covers governance, sustainability reporting and anti-greenwashing, and offers guidance on the evolving European regulatory framework.
Jankovec said: “This new Strategy is therefore deliberately about moving from commitment to action. It does not prescribe one model for every airport. Instead, it gives airports practical tools to understand where they are, decide where they need to go next and embed sustainability into the decisions they make every day.”
Uzbekistan Airports reach carbon accreditation milestone
The seminar also marked a milestone for Uzbekistan Airports, with nine airports under its management now certified within Airport Carbon Accreditation. Tashkent International Airport (TAS) entered the programme directly at Level 2, recognising its carbon management framework and demonstrated emissions reductions.
Jankovec said: “I warmly congratulate Uzbekistan Airports on this significant achievement. Achieving Airport Carbon Accreditation for nine airports demonstrates both the scale of their ambition and their determination to translate it into concrete action. Tashkent International Airport joining directly at Level 2 is particularly encouraging and shows that strong carbon management can be embedded from the outset.”
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