Heydar Aliyev International Airport Airport
Heydar Aliyev International Airport has received the second level (Reduction) certificate from the global Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) programme.
Oku.Az reports this with reference to the airport.
This accreditation confirms the reduction of carbon emissions over the past three years and demonstrates Baku Airport’s strategic move towards sustainable development and reducing the impact of climate change. The ACA program was created by Airports Council International (ACI) and is the only specialized program aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of airports. Baku Airport passed the initial stage (Mapping) and reached the second level (Reduction) and successfully modernized the water supply, heating, ventilation, lighting and air conditioning systems. These measures contributed to further reducing the carbon footprint by eliminating the use of R-22 refrigerant and mercury vapor.
“It is a source of pride that Heydar Aliyev International Airport, as the busiest airport in Azerbaijan, has for the first time received ACA accreditation for the second level of reduction directly in the country. As the main arrival point for representatives of the upcoming COP29 conference, this accreditation is an important contribution to the climate change of the airport industry. It reflects its ongoing efforts worldwide to fight against direct level two certification, which means that the airport is actively working to reduce emissions in the first and second categories. Thank you to the entire team for this important achievement,” said the Director General of the European Airports Council (ACI Europe), Olivier Jankovets.
“Heydar Aliyev International Airport strives to minimize the impact of its activities on the environment and, if such a case occurs, to minimize its consequences. In accordance with the main principles of the ACA program, we aim to achieve a higher level of carbon accreditation by developing environmental initiatives and contributing to global sustainability goals,” said Baku Airport Director Teymur Hasanov.
The airport’s current sustainable development goals include moving to level three (Optimisation) of carbon accreditation. This phase involves optimising carbon emissions and actively cooperating with all stakeholders.
The ACA program assesses and recognizes airports’ carbon emissions reduction and management efforts with seven levels of certification: “Mapping”, “Reduction”, “Optimization”, “Neutrality”, “Transformation”, “Transition” and the fifth level (Level 5).
