Gatwick Airport achieves Level 3+ carbon neutral status
London Gatwick Airport has secured the carbon neutral status from Airports Council International (ACI) Europe through its use of 100% renewable electricity and Gold Standard carbon credits to mitigate ground fuel emissions.
As stated by ACI Europe director general Olivier Jankovec, Gatwick has been officially recognised as the first carbon neutral airport in London and the second busiest in Europe.
The award shows that Gatwick completed Level 3+ airport carbon accreditation last year for all ground operation emissions, such as fuels, electricity and business travel, that the airport controls.
The UK airport has attained Level 3 carbon neutral status for the preceding three years.
Gatwick Airport CEO Stewart Wingate said: “We consider sustainability as critical to our future as a successful airport and the news that we are now a carbon neutral airport shows just how far we have come since independent ownership in 2009.
“We want to become the most sustainable airport in the UK and I would like to thank all the staff on the airport who have helped to get us this far.”
A new report about the airport's activities in 2016 highlights a 5% reduction in annual carbon emissions from fuel and energy, a 2.6% decrease in annual energy consumption per passenger, and zero untreated operational and commercial waste to landfill.
Titled 'Decade of Change', the report also includes continued operation significantly below annual mean air quality limits for both Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter 10 (PM10).
