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Adapting aviation to a changing climate

The air transport sector regularly deals with disruptive weather but these disruptions are likely to become more extreme and more frequent as we experience the growing impact of climate change.

PARIS, FRANCE – As stakeholders from throughout the air transport sector gather at this year’s 9th ACI Airport Exchange conference & exhibition with the theme “Best in Class Airports”, EUROCONTROL and ACI Europe made the first of two key announcements – about airports and climate resilience.

The air transport sector regularly deals with disruptive weather but these disruptions are likely to become more extreme and more frequent as we experience the growing impact of climate change.

The implications for air transport were assessed in a special report issued by EUROCONTROL last year Challenges of Growth: Climate Change Risk & Resilience. The report details the potential impacts of temperature increase, sea-level rise and other changes in climate on the European air transport network. European airports need to consider to what extent they may be vulnerable to this risk.

EUROCONTROL and ACI Europe in cooperation with Aena, AVINOR, DGAC/STAC, Heathrow Airport, NATS, Manchester Metropolitan University and IATA have produced a collaborative factsheet “Adapting Aviation to a Changing Climate”. The collaborative factsheet explains some of the climate change risks for aviation and their potential impact on the provision of aviation services for aircraft operators, airport operators, ANSPs, passengers and staff. It also provides a checklist of questions and case studies to help organisations initiate their climate risk assessments.

“EUROCONTROL as Network Manager is committed to fully support European aviation to reduce the emissions that lead to climate change,” said Frank Brenner, Director General of EUROCONTROL. “However, climate change will have a range of impacts on European aviation in the coming years and this report aims to help identify these impacts so that they can be adequately addressed.”

Olivier Jankovec, Director General ACI Europe commented “We have been monitoring both sides of the Climate Change equation for many years – reducing the airport industry’s contribution through our programme Airport Carbon Accreditation and today, providing our members with a toolkit to help airports assess, plan and prepare for the potential effects of climate change on their operations. Quite aside from the safety aspect, airport capacity is an increasingly scarce resource here in Europe and needs to be maintained and protected accordingly. Fundamentally, this is about safeguarding connectivity and the economic prosperity that depends on it.”

The questions in the toolkit work as a checklist for air transport stakeholders to begin to assess whether climate change impacts are a risk to them. The case studies in the toolkit provide examples of how some organisations are already adapting to the potential impacts of climate change, describing the measures they are taking. A list of aviation climate adaptation resources is also provided.

While the Single European Sky’s long-term airspace capacity objective remain unrelated to any airport capacity objective for the time being, EUROCONTROL and ACI Europe have been working together since 2008 to increase operational efficiency at airports through the implementation of a process called Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM). This collaboration was complemented by similar agreements with airline trade body IATA and CANSO, the global trade body for Air Traffic Management.

At this year’s 9th Annual ACI Airpot Exchange conference & exhibition an update was released on what has been achieved to date.

A-CDM allows for real time sharing of operational data and information between the stakeholders using an airport, thus creating “common situational awareness”. This in turn improves interaction between airport operators, air traffic control and airlines on the ground, allowing for a more optimised use of scarce airport capacity, better punctuality and reduced gaseous emissions. Information is also exchanged between the airport community and the EUROCONTROL’s Network Manager, allowing increased predictability for the Network. As such, A-CDM is an important baseline for the deployment of SESAR?.

To date, A-CDM has been fully implemented at 15 European airports welcoming 27.8% European passenger traffic – equivalent to 480 million passengers a year. While airports such as Munich, Brussels, Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt airports were all early adopters of the process, Oslo Airport, Rome-Fiumicino, Berlin-Schoenefeld, Madrid-Barajas, Stuttgart, Milan-Malpensa airport and – this week, Gatwick Airport – will have all fully implemented A-CDM this year.

A further 12 airports across Europe are currently in the process of implementing A-CDM either locally or fully.

Frank Brenner said “A-CDM is really all about improvements in performance through cultural change and proactive partnership. It emphasises the network nature of ATM where an apparently local decision can have implications across Europe. Linking the airports to the network through A-CDM has a positive effect both in terms of capacity and predictability – with benefits for each player involved. This linkage can be done by the Network Manager and is one of the major benefits that this function will bring to European ATM as a whole.”

Olivier Jankovec commented “Europe’s airports are leading A-CDM implementation globally. This is part of their very strong focus on performance and quality – which forms part of their strategy to boost their own competitive positions. By doing so, these 15 airports are delivering tangible benefits – including lowering their airline partners’ operating cost base by over EUR56 million a year. These increased efficiencies make the passenger experience more punctual and reduce their airlines’ environmental impact. It also allows us to sweat our assets and make the most of existing airport capacity. This is a win-win-win.”

The ACI EUROPE Recommended Practise on CEM


European Airports Engaged in Partial or Fully Implemented a-CDM(EUROCONTROL)

 

EUROCONTROL Specification for Collaborative Environmental Management (CEM)

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She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.

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