Less than two years after joining the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme, Malta International Airport is looking at renewing this sustainable commitment and taking the next step.

This independent and voluntary programme uses internationally recognised methodologies to assess an airport’s efforts to better manage its carbon emissions, and awards four levels of accreditation; mapping, reduction, optimisation, and neutrality.

Having gained a better understanding of how to measure its carbon footprint at the mapping level, mainly by determining emission sources and calculating annual carbon emissions, Malta International Airport will soon be able to step up its sustainability commitments by joining the reduction level.

One of the approved metrics chosen by Malta International Airport to monitor its emissions is the annual emission intensity per passenger movement, which is the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per boarded passenger. The airport sets a target for this metric, aiming for a drop in intensity every year.

Malta International Airport’s sustainability report for 2016 revealed that, despite a noteworthy increase in traffic, the company registered a 10% reduction in GHG emission intensity over 2015, reaching 1.86kg of CO2 / passenger. This drop can be attributed to measures including an increase in photovoltaic capacity, an investment in more efficient lifts, and the installation of LED lighting. Malta International Airport’s GHG emission intensity target for 2017 is that of 1.79kg of CO2 /passenger.

Established in 2009 by Airports Council International (ACI) Europe, the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme went global in 2014, and there currently are 200 carbon accredited airports worldwide.