From international hubs to more modest platforms, the momentum generated by the French airports in terms of decarbonation is mobilising the entire industry. So much so that international bodies are now hailing the exemplary role played by French airports, as was the case at the fourth annual conference of french & francophone airports. The event, organised by the Union des aéroports français & francophones associés (UAF & FA), was an opportunity for representatives of theACI Europe to underline the leading role played by French airports. " French airports are making a huge commitment to the transformation of our industry. "Olivier Jankovec is delighted. The Managing Director of ACI Europe continues: " 63 airports (and counting!) are now reducing their CO2 emissions and many are working with their partners in the airport ecosystem to trigger CO2 reductions from other players in the hub as well. I would like to congratulate all the airport teams who are working hard to reduce their emissions while providing much-needed connectivity to French cities and regions. ".
These efforts are part of theAirport Carbon Accreditationthe international standard for carbon management at airports. This standard covers no less than 86 countriesFrance has by far the largest number of airports involved. " The 63 French airports currently actively tackling their CO2 emissions through Airport Carbon Accreditation represent almost 30 % of the total number of accredited airports in Europe (219) and 15 % worldwide (425). "stress the project managers, who add: " These figures speak volumes about the determination of the French airport community deal with the negative externalities of airport operations ".
An airport community in the broadest sense, in the sense that small hubs are not left by the wayside. This was also the thinking behind the Airports Commitment to Energy Sobriety and the Environment (EASEE). The programme, which relies in particular on the public mechanism embodied by the Energy Savings Certificates scheme, aims to " enable small airports in France to overcome the obstacles to their commitment to climate action "and the fact that " carbon management at airports required significant resources, both financial and human, which often limited the capacity of small airports to commit to decarbonisation ".
This initiative, the first of its kind on a global scale, is presented by the Director General of ACI Europe as " an example to follow ". It does indeed seem to have borne fruit. In fact, the EASEE plan has already helped 36 airports in France to obtain Airport Carbon Accreditation certification, and a further 37 airports are due to be certified or obtain a higher level of certification in the coming months. " Nearly 80 French airports should be accredited under the Airport Carbon Accreditation scheme before the end of this year. "says Thomas Juin, President of UAF. The players involved will be able to count on the leadership of the two largest structures, which have already achieved the highest levels of certification: the ADP Group (Paris-CDG and Paris Orly) at level 4 "Transformation" and Aéroports de la Côte d'Azur (Nice and Cannes) at level 4+ "Transition". Nevertheless, the Union des Aéroports Français intends to continue to pay particular attention to medium-sized structures. This is particularly important in view of the changes expected in the air transport sector. " The emergence of new forms of air transport, whether electric, hybrid or hydrogen-powered, should have an impact on the business model of airlines, especially on short-haul routes, and encourage the revival of regional air transport. "said the UAF President in his closing speech. " We believe that, with a view to the development of low-carbon regional air transport, the French airport network in all its diversity is an opportunity for France and its regions. ".
The EASEE 2 programme already in the pipeline
Satisfied with the results of the EASEE plan, " a formidable driving force to encourage our entire profession to follow the virtuous path of energy sobriety and efficiency "Nevertheless, Thomas Juin is thinking about the next stage. This could happen as early as next year. " We now need to tackle our Scope 3 emissions. This is an arduous undertaking that will require significant resources. On this point, we hope, if our current discussions are successful, to be able to submit a proposal for an EASEE 2 programme in 2023as part of the Ministry of Energy's next call for CEE projects "says the UAF President.
