The Ministry of Civil Aviation aims to achieve net zero emissions through carbon-neutral airports in India by 2030.
Just like others, the airport industry is also looking ways to reduce its carbon-di-oxide emissions in the coming decades. To make air travel climate-friendly, airlines and the frontrunners in the industry are coming up with many ideas, from route optimisation to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
Considering the airports have a noticeable impact on the climate, there’s big talk around the world now about how to make them environmental-friendly. Many carbon-neutral airports have made huge strides when it comes to sustainability in recent years, and Indian airports are not that behind in the game.
Recently, Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announced that over 90 carbon-neutral airports in India by 2024, while the number of airports will rise to 220 in the next five years. Currently, the country has 141 airports, of which Kochi and Delhi airports are already completely carbon-neutral.
The Indira Gandhi International Airport in the capital runs completely on solar and hydropower, and has various measures in place to monitor carbon emissions. The presence of plants, huge windows to reduce the use of lights, and energy-saving methods ensure that the airport helps in bringing down the carbon footprint.
Other the other hand, the Cochin International Airport in Kochi has been emitting almost no carbon since 2015 as it runs completely on solar power. While Bengaluru and Mumbai airports are also well in track to achieve the target, the AAI Leh Airport has been built in a way that it is already carbon-neutral.
“One of the first things that I did when I took over as the aviation minister was to put a carbon-mapping profile of our airports. Two of our airports, Delhi and Kochi, are already carbon-neutral, and India will have 92-93 carbon-neutral airports by 2024,” said Scindia said at the All India Management Association national convention.
“Civil aviation is a highly visible sector. It is a very high-profile sector which attracts a lot of attention, but if you look at its contribution to green house gases and carbon emissions, it is just two per cent of carbon emissions of the world,” he further added.
The ministry aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2030. It is also likely to have over 400 million passengers by then. At present, we have over 200 million domestic and international passengers. But to handle the increase in passengers, the infrastructure on ground has to be improved and increased.
“The one thing that is scarce for every human being is time. No longer do we have the luxury of travelling for longs hours, spending two days on a vacation and travelling the same number of hours back,” Scindia added.
The minister also stressed on the need to set up an ecosystem in aviation sector. The focus must shift from airlines and airports, to flying, training organisations, cargo and drone services, and better ground handling solutions. The steps to develop such a highly-functional ecosystem are already in line.
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