The most eco-innovative airport in Europe is Menorca
- Menorca Airport receives the ‘Eco-Innovation’ award from ACI Europe, which recognizes innovative approaches to environmental management
- The sustainable initiatives of the Menorca airport are closely related to the specific characteristics of the Island
- Oslo Airport considered the “greenest in the world” and the main one of the world’s leading environmentalist country.
In the 15th edition of the awards of the International Airports Council of Europe (ACI Europe) for the best airports in the continent, the Eco-innovation award was given to Menorca Airport that competed with many very strong candidates.
This year’s competition for the ACI Europe awards, which brings together more than 500 airports in 45 European countries among its managing members, registered a high level of participation in each category.
The Green Innovation Award specifically recognizes the outstanding environmental performance of airports, in particular, innovative approaches to environmental management. This year, the concept and criteria of this Award have been reviewed and documentation was required to provide details of an innovative project in one of the following three environmental disciplines: Climate Change; Noise Management; and Biodiversity and Wildlife Management.
Why Menorca Airport?
Menorca Airport was the winner for an extensive record in ecological innovation, environmental management and sustainability.
The Menorcan airport is currently accredited in the Level 1 Mapping within the Airport Carbon Accreditation, which was applied under the discipline of Climate Change.
It was especially valued by the judges for investing in considerable resources to reduce their environmental impacts by developing their own dedicated management tools, as well as protecting the island’s rich biodiversity from climate change.
The judges also argued that the airport has implemented good water conservation strategies and addressed a variety of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, demonstrating that it is implementing a complete and inspiring selection of different sustainability activities.
Specifically, Menorca Airport has been working for years on the development of internal management tools, innovation, renewable energies and environmental awareness activities, in line with the actions developed in this area on the island, to be one of the most sustainable of Europe.
Water and light
It has a treatment plant with BMR technology (biological membrane reactor) that treats wastewater with a very efficient filtration system to reuse water and has developed an automatic leak detection system that instantly informs so that they can be repaired immediately. All this has meant that, since 2013, it has reduced its water consumption by 50.8%.
Regarding the reduction of electricity consumption, the airport also carries out a series of initiatives, such as the use of large HVLS (High Volume Low Speed) fans in the Terminal Building that reduce the sensation of heat by 4 degrees, reducing the 30% electricity consumption.
In addition to other actions such as the use of electric cars , the installation of several points for recharging electric vehicles, the use of solar recharge batteries in traffic signs that require lighting, the closure of several areas of the airport during the months of less activity to minimize the electrical cost , or the replacement of conventional lighting with LED lights inside the Terminal.
Currently, it is implementing 1,800 photovoltaic panels, which will produce 500 kW of electricity, adding to the 392 already installed and currently providing the airport with 71 kW.
In the last decade, electricity consumption has decreased by 27% despite the fact that air traffic has increased in this period. Also, for this year 60% of the total energy consumed will come from renewable sources and in 2030 it will go to 80%.
By another art, knowing that inside some airports there are important natural values that have remained outside the action of man, the Menorca Airport has carried out, along with the Balearic Ornitol Group (GOB), a cataloguing of the plants of its surroundings, to be able to know thus the existing botanical communities in the airport enclosure.
Oslo Airport is considered the “greenest airport in the world” and the main one of the world’s leading country in environmental protection and the fight against climate change
Source: Hosteltur
