Muharraq on December 21 (BNA): Bahrain International Airport (BIA) has taken another significant step towards becoming a completely carbon-neutral facility, meeting all requirements for an upgrade to Level 4 ‘Transformation’, as stipulated by Airports Council International (ACI). ACI). ) Airport Carbon Certification Programme.
BIA is the second airport in the Middle East to reach Level 4, becoming one of 23 airports globally to hold this status. To celebrate this significant achievement, Bahrain Airport Company (BAC), the operator and management body of Bahrain International Airport, held a ceremony honoring its airport partners and the Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) team at Bahrain International Airport for their contributions to this achievement.
The ACI program is the only institutionally accredited carbon management certification standard for airports. Recognizing facilities that successfully manage and reduce their carbon footprints, the program has six increasingly rigorous levels of Certification, Mapping, Reduction, Improvement, Neutral, Transformation, and Transition.
“This historic achievement would not have been possible without the dedication of our HSE team and the tremendous support of our airport partners. While many airports have the backing of international consultants to support the program and meet its requirements, BAC has chosen to enable HSE.” said Mohammed Yousef Al-Binfalah, President CEO of BAC, our team is set to meet this challenge single-handedly, driven by their commitment and dedication to achieving BAC’s sustainability goals.
He added, “We remain committed to operating BIA as an environmentally friendly facility and look forward to working collaboratively with our partners to further reduce its environmental impact.”
Al-Binfalah said tackling climate change is an urgent challenge. By making choices with less harmful impacts on the environment, the aviation ecosystem can be part of the solution and influence change. In 2021, the global air transport sector has pledged to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Achieving this goal requires coordinating the efforts of the entire industry, including airports.
“Bahrain Airport Company is proud to support this global initiative and raise awareness of the importance of protecting the environment. We are also keen to play a role in the government’s strategy to reach net zero emissions by 2060, which will help create a cleaner and more sustainable future for the Kingdom,” said the CEO of Bahrain Airport Company. the two seas.
At Tier 4, airports are required to align their carbon management ambition with global climate goals and transform their operations with absolute emissions reductions in mind, while also enhancing stakeholder engagement. In line with this, BIA has expanded its carbon footprint to include waste management activities, all flight takeoffs and landings, and construction emissions, along with all Tier 3 emissions sources.
The BAC has also set carbon reduction targets to achieve the Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. Accordingly, it has developed a carbon management action plan that includes a trajectory of projected emissions and carbon reductions from all planned projects through 2050.
The pathway includes all planned carbon reduction activities, such as retrofit projects aimed at upgrading the energy efficiency of BIA’s existing facilities and infrastructure. Other carbon reduction projects include the installation of solar panels in multiple locations as renewable sources of energy, and the introduction of smart meters to improve monitoring of electricity and water consumption at BAC facilities and those used by stakeholders.
BAC engaged stakeholders in the net-zero journey by calculating their carbon footprints and setting up a carbon reduction tracker for them as well as holding carbon management workshops during BIA Environment Committee meetings.
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