Global air travel has come under fire from activists for its climate impact for several years now. Aware of these criticisms, all the players have implemented policies aimed at reducing this impact. Airports want to be particularly advanced in this area. “Emissions from airports represent only 5% of air transport emissions,” explains Thomas June, president of the Union of French airports (UAF). But everyone must contribute. This is the case with airports. And France is at the forefront in this area. The vast majority of French airports will be carbon neutral by 2030, when Europe is aiming for 2050.”
This is already the case for a small airport like Saint-Tropez. All the others have their own program to decarbonize their activity. Hyères-Toulon should be “net zero” in 2023. Lyon Saint-Exupéry will be in 2026. The issue is necessarily more complex at the largest airports. The recipes are often identical, with efforts on sobriety, the replacement of all lights – and there are many at airports – with LEDs, minimizing the use of generators for the air conditioning of aircraft on the ground. Airports also want to make better use of the land space they have, in particular by installing photovoltaic panels to cover part of their needs.
There are also specificities according to the platforms. “We have a global approach that goes beyond carbon emissions, explains Justine Coutard, director of Orly airport. Emission targets, of course, but also biodiversity, waste recycling, sobriety of use (water, hot, cold, etc.) and even noise. And, to show that the entire airport community is moving in the same direction, no less than 34 companies on the Orly platform (hotels, security or cleaning service providers, waste managers, etc.) have signed a charter validating these objectives. For its part, Vinci Airports, which manages several French airports such as Lyon Saint-Exupéry, Nantes or Hyères-Toulon, has implemented a global strategy at this level. The group has sufficient size, since it is present in twelve countries and manages 65 airports.
But the major challenge for airports is also to support airlines on this path to decarbonization. Most of the air transport world’s CO2 emissions are obviously due to the planes in the sky. The role of aircraft manufacturers and companies is preponderant. However, airports must also do their part. Vinci Airports has thus set up an incentive adjustment of its prices for airlines at some of its airports. “There are more penalizing rates for companies using inefficient aircraft or business aircraft, and less expensive for those operating high-performance aircraft, explains Nicolas Notebaert, CEO of Vinci Concessions. This system is already applied in all our airports in France, except in Nantes where the concession is in the process of being awarded, and in the United Kingdom. »
But the next big step is called SAF, for Sustainable alternative fuel, kerosene produced from waste and other biomass. “SAFs represent a very promising, already mature technology,” enthuses Justine Coutard. It is possible to use it immediately on airplanes. On the side of Orly airport, there is no investment to be made to use it: it is enough to inject it in Le Havre, into the pipeline which is used to supply us with kerosene. “It will not necessarily be so easy for all airports, but all are working on this subject today. And tomorrow, it will be hydrogen, especially for small planes or medium-haul. The investments will be more substantial. But here too, some actors are moving in this direction. “In Lyon, we are working with Airbus and Air Liquide to allow the use of hydrogen by land vehicles from this year, then for planes by 2030”, specifies Nicolas Notebaert.
These strategies aimed at limiting greenhouse gases obviously have a cost. “The decarbonization of airports in France represents expenditure of 500 million euros,” Thomas June figures. And this estimate does not take into account investments related to synthetic fuels (SAF) and hydrogen. “On a European scale, the total investments required in airports are estimated at 27 billion euros,” specifies the boss of the UAF. Exceptional sums, which will have to be mobilized. For this, airport managers want to attract investors. So you need a solid business model. This is far from being the case in France, because most airport revenues, apart from the largest ones where commercial activity is significant, are regulated. “We are discussing with the public authorities and the airlines to put in place regulations that will make it possible to finance this transition”, explains Thomas Juin. The aim is to reach an agreement before the end of this year. We must act quickly because the fight against global warming cannot wait.
