Fraport Environmental Statement 2014: Continuous development of environmental protection for more than 15 years

For the 15th time, the Fraport AG airport company has had its environmental management activities verified according to the strict EMAS Eco-Management and Audit Scheme.  Thus, the latest Fraport Environmental Statement 2014 report is now available on the Internet.  EMAS is a voluntary instrument of the European Union, which enables organizations of any size and industry to examine and continuously improve their environmental performance. All Fraport-relevant environmental aspects are taken into account and evaluated in the Environmental Statement.  These topics include aircraft noise, climate gases, energy consumption, traffic, air pollution, the impact on biodiversity, water consumption, waste water, and garbage and waste.

Facts and figures documented in the Environmental Statement show how Fraport’s environmental management has been further developed during the past years and which course of action needs to be followed in the future.

The course of action includes trying to reduce aircraft noise disturbance as much as possible for people in the surrounding region, as well as to implement all possible noise abatement measures.  Thus, Fraport has become an international leader in the area of passive and active noise abatement initiatives.  Also in the future, new procedures and technical developments will be implemented as quickly as possible.  Fraport is consistently implementing measures with its partners in the “Alliance for Noise Abatement”:  the Hesse state government, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Forum Flughafen und Region (FFR), DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH and BARIG (Board of Airline Representatives in Germany).  Initiatives include investment in the satellite-supported GBAS Ground Based Augmentation System – which opens up new low-noise options for aircraft during landings at Frankfurt Airport.  FRA has a comprehensive catalog of takeoff and landing fees pegged to the amount of noise generated by different aircraft types, thus giving airlines an economic incentive to invest in low-noise airplanes – an innovation that is gaining attention around the world.

One of the biggest environmental challenges of our time is climate protection. In this regard, Fraport AG is dedicated to two central goals at its Frankfurt Airport home base:  reducing the parent company’s CO2 emissions per passenger and per 100 kilogram of freight by 30 percent by 2020 and lowering CO2 emissions to 238,000 metric tons annually, despite the airport’s expansion.  To achieve this Fraport has a wide range of projects, ranging from refurbishing central technical systems in the terminals to using more low-emission equipment for aircraft handling and optimizing operations. New buildings are being designed and built according to the latest environmental and energy-efficient technology.  Electric-powered vehicles are increasingly being deployed at FRA as well.

Rail, road and air networks at Frankfurt Airport are efficiently and comfortably linked – particularly the Long-distance Train Station and the ICE (InterCity Express) high-speed rail corridor from FRA to the Cologne region.  More than 40 percent of FRA’s passengers use public transit to get to the airport.  In addition, more than one third of all airport staff – which ranks as Germany’s largest employment complex at a single location – use public transportation.

To ensure a high degree of transparency and reliability for its environmental management system, Fraport has engaged in regular EMAS verification during the past 15 years.   Fraport’s complete Environmental Statement 2014 (English version) is available on the company’s Web site by clicking here.