Swedavia to charge airlines based on CO2 emissions

Swedish airport operator Swedavia has introduced new environmental emission charges at its largest airports, Stockholm Arlanda (ARN) and Gothenburg Landvetter (GOT).

Through the use of a revenue management software, Swedavia will be able to underpin the operator’s strategic focus on sustainability by automatically calculating charges, using industry emission data sets and Swedavia’s innovative environmental charging approach. This enables Swedavia to incentivise airlines to switch to more efficient aircraft and accelerate the transition to more sustainable aviation. Calculations are kept transparent to the airlines through easy-to-understand invoices. 

Swedavia recently introduced the CO₂ and NOx Emission Charges following a Swedish government requirement that airport charges should be differentiated for environmental purposes. The charge adjustments incentivise the use of more efficient aircraft by penalising those with higher emissions while rewarding cleaner aircraft – with an overall airport revenue-neutral effect. 

Swedavia operates 10 Swedish airports and is a leader in adopting environmental innovations.  

Lena Wennberg, Chief Sustainable Development Officer at Swedavia commented: “Swedavia wants the travel of the future to be sustainable. For many years, we have actively worked towards a transition to more sustainable travel via our airports. By the end of 2020, Swedavia became completely fossil-free in our airport operations. Fossil-free renewable HVO-diesel is now being fuelled at our airports. Within the Swedish government’s initiative Fossil-free Sweden, which we work within, there are also goals for domestic flights to be completely fossil-free by 2030. For international traffic, all planes taking off from Swedavia’s airports must be fossil-free by 2045″. 

Swedavia‘s climate transition work was recently honoured by the Airports Council International (ACI), awarding the operator the Eco-Innovation Airport of the Year in 2021.