Global airport industry celebrates milestone as over 600 airports commit to CO2 management

During the COP29 side event co-hosted by ACI EUROPE and Heydar Aliyev International Airport(GYD), the global airport industry reached a significant decarbonisation milestone. Over 600 airports worldwide are now actively managing CO2 emissions through the Airport Carbon Accreditation program. Delegates at the UN Climate Change Conference in Baku travelled via accredited airports, including Heydar Aliyev International Airport, the first in its subregion to achieve Level 2 certification in the program.

Details of the COP29 event

Opening the event at COP29, Olivier Jankovec, ACI EUROPE Director General said: “Passing the milestone of 600 accredited airports is yet another achievement on our way to fully decarbonise airport operations. Airport Carbon Accreditation has actually been on an uninterrupted upward trend since its inception back in 2009 — when just 17 airports had joined the programme. This speaks volumes about the extent to which airports have been embracing climate action and delivering tangible carbon reductions into the millions of tonnes annually. This ultimately reflects how airports globally are putting sustainability at the core of their business. I warmly congratulate Azerbaijan’s capital airport for joining our climate action community and for being pioneers in their sub region”.

“At the same time, we are acutely aware that more needs to be done to address aviation’s overall impact on the climate. As a hard to abate sector, we need more support from Governments and global institutions in our common quest to become the green transport mode of choice. Airports stand ready to play their part in this transformation”.

Samir Rzayev, President of Azerbaijan Airlines CJSC (AZAL), the operator of Baku Airport said: “Receiving the Level 2 certification under the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme from Airports Council International is a significant acknowledgement of our efforts in environmental sustainability. We view environmental protection not only as a strategic goal but also as a responsibility to future generations. This achievement motivates us to further enhance our efforts, including reaching the Optimisation level and implementing even more advanced technologies and initiatives in the field of sustainable development”.

Framework for net zero achievement 

The momentum for airport climate action keeps accelerating both in terms of sheer numbers of carbon accredited airports and the level of ambition. Globally, 18 airports today hold Level 5 certification, by operating net zero facilities for emissions under their control whilst pursuing full decarbonisation across upstream and downstream emissions by 2050. The addition of Level 5 to the Airport Carbon Accreditation framework announced at COP28 in Dubai last year pushed the bar of airport carbon management to new heights, constituting the only such industry led framework for net zero achievement at global level across all sectors.

Find out more about the side-event Airport Climate Action Showcase at COP29.