Newcastle International Airport has achieved 'Level 3: Optimisation' status from the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) scheme.

The ACA, an institutionally endorsed global programme, reviews and recognises measures by airports to manage and lower their carbon emissions through seven levels of certification.

As part of its assessment, Newcastle Airport demonstrated its carbon footprint measurement practices, actions to reduce its carbon footprint and shared engagement with third parties, such as airlines and independent ground handlers.

Olivier Jankovec, director general at ACI Europe, said: "I would like to congratulate Newcastle International Airport on its upgrade to the certification Level 3 - Optimisation under the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme.

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"This underscores the Airport's commitment to decarbonisation across the entire airport site, demonstrated through a series of impactful CO2 reduction initiatives, including the installation of a solar farm that can provide 100% of the airport’s electricity demand on a sunny day."

Several sustainability initiatives that helped the airport in its achievement include a solar farm providing 100 per cent of the airport’s electricity needs on sunny days, the introduction of 66 electric vehicle (EV) charging points across the site and green travel plans for staff where 35 per cent of passengers were transported to their aircraft by an electric vehicle in 2023.

The year also saw an additional 8,000 trees planted on airport-owned property.

Nick Jones, chief executive of Newcastle International Airport, said: "Newcastle International Airport is firmly committed to achieving Net Zero Carbon by 2035 and obtaining Level 3 Airport Carbon Accreditation marks significant progress toward this ambitious goal.

"We take immense pride in our accomplishments so far; however, we acknowledge that there's still work ahead. This year, we are confident that Newcastle International Airport will remain a sector leader in sustainability and continue to reach milestones on the path to Net Zero Carbon by 2035.

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“These include plans to develop an EV charging forecourt at Callerton Parkway, operated by Fastned, introducing even more electric vehicles to our operational fleet, planting an additional 12,000 trees, and making strides toward implementing low-carbon heating in the main terminal."

This recognition follows the airport's status as 'Sector Leader' in the 2023 GRESB Infrastructure Assessment, with a record score of 99 per cent, placing it third in the world among participating airports.