Nice Côte d’Azur Airport has become the first carbon neutral airport in France, achieving Level 3+ Neutrality of ACI’s Airport Carbon Accreditation, and is the world’s 25th certified airport. The airport, operated by Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur (ACA) Group, has gained the ultimate milestone in its Airport Carbon Accreditation strategy by becoming carbon neutral two years ahead of its initial deadline of 2018.
This new achievement rewards the airport’s efforts to be more energy-efficient and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, including its environmental initiatives, such as the switch to 100% renewable energy, testing the first fully electric airport shuttle bus with boost charging and the introduction of an autonomous power and air conditioning supply system for business air travel.
“Our Group is committed to making the necessary reductions in the carbon emissions of its day-to-day activities,” explains Dominique Thillaud, CEO of Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur. “We are proud to declare that Nice is the first airport in France to have been able to cut its emissions and offset the remainder, while at the same time increasing its capacity to cope with a rise in passenger numbers. Becoming carbon neutral two years ahead of target is a mark of the strong commitment that can be seen across the ACA Group, including Cannes Mandelieu and Saint Tropez airports.”
Dominique Thillaud, CEO of Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur, comments: “In 2016 we find ourselves excellently positioned to achieve the targets we set ourselves following COP21, while joining the other major European airports who have already achieved Level 3+ in their success.”
Other airports operated by ACA Group are also accredited, with Cannes Mandelieu Airport improving from Level 1 to Level 3, and Golfe de Saint-Tropez Airport joining the programme at Level 3 Optimisation.
Olivier Jankovec, Director General, ACI EUROPE, commented: “I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to the teams at Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur for their hard work and this historic achievement, which has seen Nice Côte d’Azur Airport be the first in France to become carbon neutral. The requirements for each of the four levels of certification for Airport Carbon Accreditation are strict and require both strategic commitment and diligence from an airport. Nice Côte d’Azur Airport has today become the 25th carbon neutral airport in the world. At the COP21, our industry made a formal commitment to helping 50 European airports achieve this goal by 2030. With the great example set by innovative airports such as Nice Côte d’Azur, we are well on track.”
Since 2010, Nice has cut its kilograms of CO2 per passenger by 75%, in particular thanks to a successful partnership with Electricité de France and signature of a contract for the purchase of 100% French hydroelectric power.
