Additionally, the uncertainty derived from the impact of the COVID crisis and the necessary allocation of European Recovery Funds to projects that prioritise sustainability and digitalisation, has provided an even greater boost.
If we focus on the air transport sector, the COVID-19 pandemic and its ramifications are posing a major challenge for our industry’s survival. It is especially significant in Spain due to the importance of tourism for the country, an industry that currently accounts for more than 12% of national gross domestic product (GDP) and where four out of every five international travellers who come to Spain choose air travel as their means of transport.
This has made us realise the importance of thinking ahead as a way to address the major threat of climate change, and we were clear that the industry’s recovery plan had to factor in the ongoing climate and ecological crisis we are facing.
Therefore, in terms of sustainability, and in spite of the current situation, our environmental performance is still a key priority in our management approach. As such, our strategic strands are built on the principle of green reconstruction so we can accomplish our decarbonisation and environmental protection commitments by working in partnership with our stakeholders.
At Aena we have been working for years to protect our environment. We have a large team that watches over the protection and conservation of the environment at our airports, under the framework of the Quality, Environment and Energy Efficiency Policy that had its first version in 1999.