The European aviation community strives to achieve net zero CO2 emissions, notably through DESTINATION 2050 at sectorial level, as well as the airport-specific Net Zero pledge and the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme, both spearheaded by ACI EUROPE and supported by EUROCONTROL However, already today the sector is grappling with disruptive weather patterns affecting aviation operations, airport infrastructure, passengers, and personnel, and which are set to increase with climate change. Harnessing innovative technologies and strategies to foster meaningful adaptation within the aviation sector will be essential for overcoming this resilience challenge. The newly released briefing serves as a resource for identifying climate change impacts of concern and conducting climate change risk assessments, enabling stakeholders to develop effective adaptation plans tailored to their specific operational contexts.
Aviation’s vulnerability to climate change on the rise – EUROCONTROL and ACI EUROPE release new briefing to prepare air transport stakeholders for climate-related disruptions
Rome, 28 November 2024: In a joint effort to support the climate resilience of the aviation sector, EUROCONTROL and ACI EUROPE, together with the European Aviation Climate Change Adaptation Working Group, have today released a new briefing on the effects and impacts of climate change on aviation. “Adapting Aviation to a Changing Climate” was launched at the AIRPORTS INNOVATE 2024 conference in Rome which brought together over 450 aviation industry leaders, experts, and innovators from 26-28 November.
EUROCONTROL supports the aviation industry in its efforts to decrease its environmental impact. At the same time, we are also providing advice on how the sector can safeguard its infrastructure and ensure the continued provision of safe and reliable passenger and cargo services. Today’s release of our new briefing is a concrete deliverable of our joint work with ACI EUROPE and our partners across the industry, which we hope contributes to helping aviation organisations in their climate change risk assessments and developing adaptation plans. All industry stakeholders will be impacted by increasingly disruptive weather, therefore it is key that we collectively raise awareness of those impacts and the importance of investment in preparedness.
For years, we’ve addressed climate change from both mitigation and adaptation perspectives within ACI EUROPE. Through key industry-led initiatives like Airport Carbon Accreditation and DESTINATION 2050, we’ve focused on reducing the sector’s carbon footprint. Today, we are providing our members with a toolkit to help airports assess, plan and prepare for the effects of climate change on their operations, which are increasing in frequency and intensity. Quite aside from the safety aspect, the impact of extreme weather events is jeopardising the resilience of our infrastructure, as well as having a knock-on effect on airport capacity – an increasingly scarce resource here in Europe, which needs to be maintained and protected accordingly. Fundamentally, this is about safeguarding connectivity and the socioeconomic benefits that depend on it.
The briefing “Adapting Aviation to a Changing Climate” was developed in cooperation with 39 member organisations of the European Climate Change Adaptation Working Group.
Following the release of the briefing the Working Group will now be developing regionally-focused guidance on climate impacts, risk assessment and adaptation measures to further support aviation stakeholders in developing climate resilience.
For more information:
EUROCONTROL
Kyla Evans
Head of Corporate Communications
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +32 2 729 5095
ACI EUROPE
Agata Lyznik
Director of Communications & Media
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +32 2 552 09 89
Note to editors
ACI EUROPE is the European region of Airports Council International (ACI), the only worldwide professional association of airport operators. ACI EUROPE represents over 500 airports in 55 countries. Our members facilitate over 90% of commercial air traffic in Europe. Airports and air connectivity support 14 million jobs, generating €851 billion in European economic activity (5% of GDP). In response to the Climate Emergency, in June 2019 our members committed to achieving Net Zero carbon emissions for operations under their control by 2050, without offsetting.
EUROCONTROL is a pan-European, civil-military organisation dedicated to supporting European aviation. As Europe’s Network Manager, we play a central coordination role, using our technical expertise to support Member States and a wide range of stakeholders (air navigation service providers, civil and military airspace users, airports and aircraft/equipment manufacturers). We strive to make European aviation safe, efficient, scalable, cost-effective and environmentally sustainable, partnering with the European Union to make the Single European Sky a reality.