BIA reaches milestone in quest for carbon neutrality

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain International Airport (BIA) has reached a significant milestone in its journey towards becoming a carbon-neutral facility, meeting all requirements to upgrade to Level 3 ‘Optimisation’, as stipulated by the Airports Council International (ACI) Airport Carbon Accreditation program.

Bahrain Airport Company (BAC) held a ceremony recognising airport stakeholders and the Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) team for their commitment and contributions towards this achievement.

The programme is the only institutionally-endorsed carbon management certification standard for airports and recognises facilities that successfully manage and reduce their carbon footprints. The programme has four increasingly stringent levels of accreditation, Mapping, Reduction, Optimisation, and Neutrality.

To achieve Level 3 certification, airports must fulfill all Level 1 and 2 requirements. BAC Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Yousif Al Binfalah, who handed out certificates of appreciation at the ceremony, said: “I would like to thank our HSE team and stakeholders for their dedicated efforts and important contributions towards this milestone achievement.” “BAC is committed to operating BIA as an environmentally friendly and operationally efficient airport,” he added.

“ACI recently launched a long-term carbon goal study for global airports to reach net-zero carbon emission by 2050. We will continue participating in the ACI Airport Carbon Accreditation program and working on initiatives with our partners to further reduce the airport’s carbon emissions and achieve the targeted reductions in our Carbon Management Plan.

“We look forward to furthering minimising BIA’s environmental impact at the new Passenger Terminal, which was designed with sustainability in mind. “The boutique building is more energy efficient than the legacy facility and is Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certified, a globally recognised symbol of sustainability achievement.”

“With the continued support of our employees, partners, and stakeholders, I am confident that we can help to deliver the sustainable development goals outlined in Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030.” At Level 3, airports are required to engage third parties in carbon footprint management, including airlines and service providers such as independent ground handlers, catering companies, air traffic control, and others working on the airport site.