Prague Airport Endorses the Toulouse Declaration
Prague Airport strengthens its commitment to achieving clean carbon neutrality by 2050 at the latest by signing the Toulouse Declaration, which, for the first time, connects European airports, European governments, the European Commission, industry, trade unions, and other key stakeholders in an effort to decarbonise aviation over the next 28 years. It is a breakthrough step towards European, respectively global, regulation.
Emissions and carbon footprint reduction is the aviation industry key topic. European airports joint in the Airports Council International Europe association have been one of the main drivers of this trend for over a decade. The significance of the Toulouse Declaration primarily comprises laying the foundations for further steps, such as the creation of the EU Aviation Decarbonisation Pact. On a global scale, it sets a worldwide target for international aviation under the auspices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), which is affiliated to the United Nations.
"Joining the Toulouse Declaration is fully in line with our environmental protection goals. It is the next logical step towards the aviation industry decarbonisation. Prague Airport has been reducing its emissions since 2010 under the ACI Airport Carbon Accreditation programme at an average rate of three to five thousand tons of CO2 per year. Last year, we also joined the Net Zero and Destination 2050 initiative. We coordinate particular steps to reach emission minimisation by 2030, and we plan to achieve net zero in 2050 thanks to compensation projects,” Jiří Pos, Chairman of the Prague Airport Board of Directors, commented on the decarbonisation issue.
Prague Airport's plan to achieve clean carbon neutrality is one of the main topics of the company's Environment Social Governance (ESC) strategy. It outlines specific objectives for five areas of environmental protection, namely promoting a species-diverse airport, minimising the waste produced, reducing the noise burden, working with partners to decrease emissions, and achieving carbon neutrality. As it is not realistic to reach net zero, it is necessary to compensate for the remaining CO2 emissions by investing in projects which are to save the same amount of emissions, and in technologies which absorb CO2 from the atmosphere.
Prague Airport has already implemented a number of energy-saving projects, starting with the replacement of lighting, boilers, and compressor units. The company also invests in the support of renewable energy sources by running its own photovoltaic power plants or by purchasing green electricity covering 100% of electricity consumption at the airport. Alongside environmental protection, the ESG strategy also focuses on grant programmes for the airport surrounding areas, the airport as a fair employer, and the area of ethical business conduct.