First Carbon Capture Tool Created for Airports

The carbon emissions caused by air travel is a topic that (deservedly) receives a great deal of attention, as it's a major factor in the climate challenges the planet faces.

But what about the carbon emissions associated with the construction of airport facilities such as terminals, runways, and car parking facilities? The carbon generated by these activities has historically received far less press. Until now. 

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), has just announced the launch of a new, first-of-its-kind suite of digital tools designed to measure the carbon impact generated by airport-related construction projects. Created in conjunction with the UK-based design and engineering firm Atkins, the new tool kit should enable airports to better understand and mitigate such carbon generation, IATA said in a statement.

“As the global aviation industry continues its post-pandemic growth, modernizing and adapting infrastructure to meet Net Zero targets and the needs of sustainable aviation, the need to reduce embodied carbon in new buildings, such as terminals and runways, is ever more pressing,” IATA said. 

New unfinished airport terminal (Photo Credit: iStock / Getty Images Plus/blanscape)

An Industry First

The new tools, developed by IATA and Atkins are believed to be the first early-stage embodied carbon assessment tools and they're the only tools focused specifically on airport terminal buildings. Most current tools measure carbon in general buildings and do so at a later stage in the design process. Having carbon measurements available much earlier in the design process allows the new aviation-specific tools to add far more value, says IATA.

The data should enable airport development teams to understand the carbon footprint of construction projects and ideally, will inspire dialogue with airport operators about how to mitigate impacts, explained IATA.

“Decarbonizing aviation is the industry’s greatest challenge, and the industry is fully committed and making progress. However, reaching net zero by 2050 will require collective efforts from the entire industry supply chain and from policymakers,” Nick Careen, IATA senior vice president operations, safety and security, said in a statement.

The new digital toolkit should help airports meet their own objectives by providing a platform to evaluate and reduce carbon impacts for new airport developments, added Careen.

“By facilitating dialogue around carbon mitigation from day one of an airport development project, together we are making headway towards Net Zero aviation," Careen said. 

IATA also recently released a series of proposed roadmapsthat are designed to help steer the airline industry toward this critically important goal.

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