The pressure is on for the aviation sector. Alongside power generation and heavy industry, air travel is one of the most prominent targets for governments pursuing ambitious net-zero objectives.
But it’s not realistic to cut out carbon emissions from aircraft quickly. The lifecycle of a commercial airliner is around 30 years. So, despite significant progress, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production is not enough in itself to have the substantial impact on emissions needed.
That’s why any pragmatic approach to speeding up the decarbonisation of air travel depends on tackling other aviation emissions, which brings the focus to airports. Airport operators are now on the front line of the decarbonisation of the industry.
But, because of the complexity involved, collaboration is indispensable if airports are to lead the way in decarbonising the aviation industry.
Complexity demands collaboration
Most airports are similar in size to a small town, but with vastly higher numbers of people constantly passing through. That means airport emissions are both significant and highly fragmented, involving everything from exhaust gases produced by ground service equipment (GSE) to luggage conveyor belts and HVAC systems for terminal buildings.
Removing carbon from the airport equation is no simple undertaking. Because the sources of airport emissions are so diverse, there can be no ‘magic bullet’, no one action that allows airport operators to dispense with the problem.
In other words, despite reducing airport emissions being aviation’s most immediate route towards net zero, it is by no means a straightforward task.
The size of the challenge and the different options open to airport operators means that delivering decarbonisation quickly and at scale is unlikely to be easy for airports acting in isolation.
This is where collaboration is nothing short of vital. Collaboration means different approaches can be tested at different airports without any one operator footing the bill alone.
It means airports can gain insights from the experiences of others, moving directly to an optimal approach to decarbonising a particular source of emissions without the time and costs involved in pursuing a test and learn phase first.
TULIPS - A collaborative approach to airport decarbonisation
There is precedent for such an approach. The TULIPS consortium, of which Egis is a member, began in 2022 with €25 million in EU funding.
Centred on Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, the project is intended to deliver a roadmap to achieving zero waste and zero airport emissions by 2030, and net zero for aviation as-a-whole by 2050.
These goals are reflected in the project’s main ambitions of:
- Accelerating emission reductions.
- Demonstrating, measuring and prescribing innovative technologies and concepts that can support the ongoing transition towards sustainable airport operations.
- Developing sustainability roadmaps based on evidence from seven focus areas with a total of 17 demonstrators.
These 17 demonstrator projects are taking place at airports across Europe. They involve the testing of intermodal transport services, including for freight transport and public transport connections to and within airports, as well as zero-emissions airside operations and circular airport buildings.
They also include work to develop mitigation measures airside for ultrafine particulates (UFPs) and the sequestering of carbon with biochar on airport land.
The co-ordinated nature of the project means airports across Europe will have easy access to an evidence base covering the decarbonisation approaches that are open to them.
As a result, we can expect the decarbonisation of European airports to
be considerably easier and less costly for airport operators to deliver
than would otherwise have been case.
The burden testing different approaches is shared across operators, rather than duplicated across them. This doesn’t just simplify adoption, it also has the potential to influence policy change and feeds into scientific articles, supporting an evidence-based approach.
Decarbonisation can accelerate if we work together
There can be little doubt as to the promise collaboration holds for the decarbonisation of airports in the UK. Yet this remains an ambitious
challenge for the sector.
Private operators already collaborate through industry groups, however, there is an opportunity to go further. To deliver more cost-effective and timely decarbonisation initiatives, together.
A framework that allows UK airports to maintain commercial competition while collaborating to deliver the rapid decarbonisation of airport operations would be immensely valuable but would likely require the support of government.
A way forward?
Airports offer the most immediate avenue for the decarbonisation of the aviation industry. Yet the sheer variety of sources of emissions means achieving meaningful change is a complex undertaking. That demands collaboration if it is to be delivered quickly and cost-effectively.
While there are legitimate reasons why collaboration between airport operators might be restricted, we believe a co-ordinated approach offers significant promise.
Greater knowledge sharing, of both successes and setbacks, benefits the entire industry. It accelerates innovation and supports the widespread adoption of solutions needed to navigate the complexities of decarbonisation.
Article originally featured in Airport World/ Issue 3, 2025
