ACI Europe launched its “Sustainability Strategy for Airports 2.0” on 7 October at an environmental protection seminar in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The organisation, which represents more than 600 airports in 55 countries, developed the framework to help operators include sustainability in their operations and investment decisions. Covering 2026 to 2030, it updates the organisation’s first strategy, published in 2019. The document combines practical actions, ways to measure progress and airport examples across seven main areas. It is designed for airports with different resources and levels of experience, from smaller regional facilities to major international hubs.
Reducing carbon emissions remains central, alongside preparing for climate change, managing local environmental impacts, reusing resources and protecting nature. Transport, accessibility, staff and local communities also feature in the strategy. “But true sustainability means much more than just addressing carbon,” said Olivier Jankovec, Director General of ACI Europe. The updated framework reflects the wider pressures facing airports, including energy costs, extreme weather and expectations from passengers and nearby residents. It encourages operators to consider these issues when planning investments and managing their businesses, rather than treating sustainability as a separate reporting task.
A key part of the strategy is a four-stage framework called Comply, Embed, Advance and Pioneer. The first stage focuses on meeting legal requirements and establishing a starting point against which progress can be measured. The second brings sustainability into daily operations and planning, while the third involves more ambitious targets and measurable results. The fourth encourages airports to lead changes across the wider sector. Before choosing actions, operators are advised to assess their environmental and community impacts, alongside external risks to their businesses. They should also consider what passengers, employees, local authorities and shareholders need. An accompanying toolkit helps airports assess their position in each area and track improvements.
For carbon emissions, the strategy sets out actions ranging from measuring energy use to investing in renewable electricity and cleaner vehicles. It also encourages cooperation with airlines and other businesses whose emissions fall outside an airport operator’s direct control. According to ACI Europe, 328 airports now have public net zero roadmaps, covering nearly 83% of European passenger traffic. More than 100 are targeting net zero by 2030 or earlier. However, the sector’s net zero commitment concerns operations under airport control, including fuel use and purchased electricity. It does not mean that flights using those airports are emissions-free.
Climate adaptation receives its own set of actions, recognising that airports must also prepare for floods, heat and storms. Suggested first steps include identifying weather risks, reviewing insurance and updating plans for keeping operations running during disruption. Airports further along are encouraged to assess vulnerable infrastructure and include climate risks in investment decisions. The framework also recommends longer-term adaptation plans as part of airport development. Other sections address noise, air quality, waste and water use, alongside protecting habitats on airport land. For example, the report highlights plans at Eindhoven Airport to reuse terminal materials and collect rainwater for toilets. These illustrate resource management measures already being developed, rather than projects launched by the strategy.
For passengers and staff, the framework recommends clearer public transport information and measures that encourage alternatives to private car journeys. Further actions include working with transport authorities to improve rail and bus connections and developing journey planners. Accessibility recommendations include programmes for people with disabilities that may not be immediately visible. Brussels Airport’s travel planner and virtual walkthroughs feature as existing examples of efforts to improve journeys. The people and community section also covers staff training, wellbeing, local recruitment and engagement with nearby residents. Suggested measures of progress include employee satisfaction, training hours and community satisfaction.
The strategy also sets out guidance for checking results and avoiding greenwashing, meaning environmental claims that are misleading or unsupported. Its suggested performance measures allow airports to track changes across all seven areas. Operators are advised to distinguish actual emissions reductions from carbon offsetting, which involves supporting projects elsewhere to compensate for emissions. The document calls for independent verification before airports describe themselves as carbon neutral. It also recommends that loans and other financing linked to sustainability use specific, measurable targets with clear deadlines.
