ACI EUROPE and Heydar Aliyev Airport showcase airport climate action at COP29 in Baku
The global airport industry marked an important milestone on its pathway to decarbonisation at COP29 in Baku, the landmark annual conference dedicated to climate action. More than 600 airports across the globe are now actively engaged in CO2 management as part of the industry’s carbon standard, Airport Carbon Accreditation.
ACI EUROPE joined forces with Heydar Aliyev Airport, Baku’s main gateway, in organising a COP29 side-event dedicated to showcasing progress made within Airport Carbon Accreditation, as well as outlining the latest developments in the broader industry’s journey to net zero, including a panel discussion with global aviation leaders, Justin Erbacci, DG of ACI World, Jane Hupe, Envoy of the ICAO Secretary General to UNFCCC COP and Haldane Dodd, Executive Director at ATAG.
Opening the event, 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”.
Indeed, delegations from global governments arriving at COP29 have travelled through at least on accredited airport, as Heydar Aliyev Airport has blazed the trail in its subregion, holding Level 2 certification of Airport Carbon Accreditation for actively reducing its Scope 1 and 2 emissions.
Find out more in our Press Release: COP29 sees 600 airports now certified for carbon management globally
