Eurocontrol, ACI Europe Provide Climate Change Guidance To Airports

Eurocontrol and airports industry group ACI Europe have published a framework aimed at helping airports, airlines and ANSPs prepare for and adapt to the escalating impact of climate change. The groups warn that increasing exposure to rising temperatures and more frequent extreme weather pose growing risks to operations.

The European network manager and European airports industry group released their framework, “Adapting to a Changing Climate: Guidance on Risk Assessment and Adaptation,” Dec. 8.

The aviation sector is aiming to achieve net zero by 2050. However, many industry watchers are concerned that progress on sustainability initiatives that would help decrease aviation’s climate impact, in particular the much-needed roll-out of greater sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) volumes, are not going fast enough.

Eurocontrol and ACI Europe warned that even as industry efforts to decarbonize are advancing, European aviation is increasingly exposed to rising temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns and more frequent extreme weather events. All of these elements “pose growing risks to operational continuity, infrastructure integrity, safety, connectivity and economic performance.”

“Europe is projected to be the fastest warming continent, making climate adaptation no longer optional but both an operational necessity and a strategic imperative,” Eurocontrol Director General Raúl Medina said.

“Under Eurocontrol’s Trajectory 2030 Strategy, we are fully committed to supporting the aviation sector in adapting to the impacts of climate change while reinforcing the resilience of our stakeholders’ operations and infrastructure.”

The new guidance aims to raise awareness, provide recommendations that can be put into practice and highlight real examples of effective adaptation, he added.

“Climate action is more than ever a non-negotiable imperative,” ACI Europe Director General Olivier Jankovec said. “As such, it involves not only reducing greenhouse gases but also adapting our aviation infrastructure to a fast changing climate.”

The new guidance provides a “practical and comprehensive toolkit allowing to integrate mitigation and adaptation strategies,” he said.

The guidance covers practical steps, such as adapting infrastructure, including upgrading drainage and cooling systems, reinforcing runways and taxiways and making use of “nature-based” solutions to manage flooding, heat stress and instability of soil.

The guidance also calls for operators to enhance flight planning and scheduling to account for temperature extremes, wind shifts and storm disruptions, improving turbulence forecasting and emergency preparedness.

The framework also recommends addressing water scarcity and fluctuating energy demand by using efficient technologies and sustainable practices, as well as managing wildlife risks while making use of natural ecosystems, with airports often providing habitats for many different types of flora or fauna, to help with natural climate regulation and resilience.

The document notes that shifts in ecological dynamics and accelerating biodiversity loss can lead to unpredictable wildlife behavior, increasing the risk of collisions with aircraft causing material damage, and posing flight safety hazards.

Loss of biodiversity also undermines soil stability and infiltration capacity, driving up infrastructure maintenance costs, water and pollution treatment expenses, and exacerbating flooding and drought risks, impacting runway integrity and drainage systems.

“By rethinking environmental planning and management, airports can harness ecosystems to enhance sustainability and reduce vulnerability to climate change,” the framework notes. “Measures such as integrating Nature-Based Solutions, reducing soil sealing, and adopting more sustainable management of natural spaces could help to tackle climate change while improving the integration of airport platforms into their surroundings.”

The two groups also call for more coordination among airports, airlines and ANSPs as well as external partners to ensure continuity of critical services and address cascading climate risks.

In a separate publication, XDI, a climate-focused consultancy that is part of the Climate Risk Group, recently published an analysis of more than 30 international airports, finding that 4% of airports were already at significant operational risk of climate-related disruptions such as flooding, extreme heat, forest fires or coastal inundation, and that would rise to one in three, or 32% of airports, by 2050, without a dramatic reduction in carbon pollution.