Bristol Airport announces the carbon offsetting of all road journeys

Bristol Airport has announced that all journeys made by road to and from the airport are now offset, making it the first airport in Europe to do so. 

The scheme came into effect on 1 January 2020 and forms part of the airport’s Carbon Roadmap, which was published in 2019.

Bristol Airport’s Head of Sustainability, James Shearman, said: “This commitment to offset carbon emissions from surface access recognises that environmental impacts reach beyond the boundary of the airport. With airlines taking steps to reduce and offset carbon emissions, it means many customer journeys could be carbon neutral from front door to final destination in 2020.” 

Following an annual passenger survey that shows the different modes of travel used by passengers, offsets will be purchased retrospectively by the airport in order to achieve their target. The Environmental Effects Working Group of the airport’s Consultative Committee, which represents local communities and airport users, will be pivotal in selecting suitable offsetting schemes, focusing on local projects where possible. 

This is not the only sustainable initiative currently happening at the airport – easyJet, who operate over 50 per cent of flights in and out of Bristol Airport, became the first major airline to offset carbon emissions from fuel used by its aircraft in November 2019. In 2021, the Carbon Offsetting Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) will begin, which is a global agreement to stabilise net carbon emissions from flights at 2020 levels.