It introduced an eco-modulation system in France and at London Gatwick to adjust airport landing fees based on aircraft emissions. VINCI Airports is also anticipating European regulations by providing biofuels produced from used cooking oil – whose carbon footprint is 80% lower than conventional aviation fuel – for airlines at Lyon-Saint Exupéry, Lisbon, Toulon Hyères and Grenoble Alpes Isère airports, after London Gatwick and Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne in 2021. In addition, in line with the Group’s investment in the Clean H2 Infra fund (see page 67), VINCI Airports is collaborating with key industrial players in its sector to develop the use of clean hydrogen, already available in the form of hydrogen gas for land vehicles and, in the longer term, in liquid form for tomorrow’s hydrogen-powered aircraft. Its programme in this area – initiated in France at Lyon-Saint Exupéry, which has launched a hydrogen-powered bus service – is also being rolled out in Portugal, Chile and Japan.
To guide progress in reducing their carbon footprint, all airports in the network join the ACI’s Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) process. New levels were achieved in 2022: Lyon-Saint Exupéry and the 10 Portuguese airports have reached Level 4+, the highest in the programme; the three Japanese air-ports have progressed to Level 4, while 14 airports in France, the Dominican Republic and Brazil have moved up to Level 3. These achievements reflect the efforts made across the airport ecosystem (airline companies, ground handlers, etc.) at each airport.
VINCI Airports also acts to develop waste sorting and recycling and protect water resources and natural environ-ments in its airports. By way of example, Salvador Bahia airport, which received the award for the “Most Sustainable Aerodrome in Brazil” from the country’s civil aviation authority for the third year in a row, inaugu rated a new biodiversity structure after previously installing an effluent treatment plant and a waste sorting system. Meanwhile, London Gatwick, Lyon-Saint Exupéry and Nantes Atlantique have set up partnerships with several airlines to improve sorting and recycling of waste collected from aircraft.
