Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) announced today that Abu Dhabi International Airport has officially achieved the Airport Carbon Accredited status at the ‘Mapping Level’ of the carbon standard for the airport industry Airport Carbon Accreditation, making it the first carbon accredited airport in the Middle East and North Africa regions (MENA).

The announcement was made during a press conference held at the ACI Europe and ACI Asia-Pacific Airport Exchange Conference, hosted by ADAC at ADNEC this week, bringing together over 1,000 air transport executives from Europe and Asia-Pacific to work towards the future development of the aviation sector and airports’ operations.

During the press conference, Airport Council International (ACI) Europe announced the extension of Airport Carbon Accreditation, which was originally launched in Europe in 2009, to include the Asia-Pacific region allowing airports of these countries to apply and achieve certification at one of the four levels of the programme. At the same time, having applied for certification in recent weeks, Abu Dhabi International became the very first Airport Carbon Accredited airport outside Europe.

ADAC initiated its application to the programme by mapping emission sources within the direct operational boundaries of Abu Dhabi International airport as defined by the GHG protocol, calculating the annual carbon emissions, compiling a carbon footprint report and verifying it independently. The airport footprint will form the baseline measure to which future activities and targets will be aligned.

Commenting on this milestone achievement; James E. Bennett, CEO of ADAC, said:

“We are proud to be the leading airport operator in the region to start playing our part in addressing aviation’s impact on climate change. A key milestone for us is the participation in Airport Carbon Accreditation. The certification recognizes ADAC’s efforts towards applying comprehensive carbon management in the capital’s airport. This application also demonstrates ADAC’s commitment towards developing a sustainable future in aviation and effectively managing the environmental impacts of our operations across our five airports in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.”

Following the launch of Airport Carbon Accreditation in Asia-Pacific by ACI EUROPE & ACI ASIA-PACIFIC, Patti Chau, Regional Director ACI ASIA-PACIFIC commented:

“ACI Airport Exchange has opened the doors for new opportunities to this part of the world. It provides opportunities to share the expertise and knowledge required to develop and improve the aviation industry worldwide.

I am extremely proud that we are now providing our member airports with the tool to manage and reduce their carbon emissions. The relentless development of aviation in our region goes hand-in-hand with a focus on making airport facilities and operating processes as environmentally sustainable and efficient as possible. By extending Airport Carbon Accreditation to Asia-Pacific, we are taking a leadership position along with our European colleagues.”

Speaking specifically about ADIA’s achievement, she added “Given their dynamism and attention to best practise, it comes as no surprise that Abu Dhabi International Airport is the first one to become Airport Carbon Accredited in the Asia-Pacific region. ADAC is leading the aviation industry in the UAE toward a sustainable future and we look forward to following its progress.”

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