Tallinn Airport achieved ACA Level 3
Tallinn Airport has been awarded the Level 3 International Carbon Accreditation Certificate of the Airport Carbon Accreditation Programme in recognition of the company’s efforts to reduce its environmental footprint and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.
The Airport Carbon Accreditation or ACA, is an independent carbon accreditation programme for airports that monitors the efforts made by airports and guides them in assessing and reducing their carbon emissions. Tallinn Airport first joined the programme in 2012 and started collecting data and assessing the environmental impacts. In 2022, the company decided to certify both Level 2 and Level 3 in the same year, and to achieve this, the performance of the company’s partners was also important in addition to the company’s own efforts.
According to Anneli Turkin, a member of the management board of Tallinn Airport, the company had to demonstrate reductions in carbon emissions over three years in order to achieve this. “Achieving Level 3 was very important to us and also a clear sign that our daily actions and steps to protect the environment have paid off. This is well proven by the fact that the sample did not include the year 2020, when air traffic came to a virtual standstill due to the corona crisis. We collected data for 2018, 2019 and 2021, and they showed that we’ve gradually reduced our emissions each year.”
According to Turkin, every small step plays an important role in reducing carbon emissions, but those that have had the biggest impact can be highlighted. “The establishment of solar parks and thus the reduction of oil shale-based electricity consumption, the introduction of electrically powered equipment and the reduction of the use of fuels and various chemicals were the most important keywords for us.”
Airport Carbon Accreditation is one of the best-developed carbon standards in the aviation sector, and it is the only institutionally approved programme that assesses and recognises the efforts of airports to manage carbon emissions. “As a holder of the certificate, we’re setting an example to the aviation sector and to other companies,” said Turkin. “The certificate recognises that we’re working every day to reduce our carbon footprint.”
In order to achieve its environmental aims, the airport continues to establish solar parks at airports throughout Estonia, makes increasing use of battery-powered equipment, monitors ground and rain water levels and noise pollution, helps raise awareness among passengers, employees and partners and constantly looks for innovative new solutions that contribute to environmental protection.
The goal of Tallinn Airport is to ensure the sustainable and responsible operation of the airports belonging to the group and the provision of high-quality services, while preserving the natural environment and reducing air emissions. Tallinn Airport aims to be a carbon neutral airport by 2030.
