Hong Kong International Airport — one of the world's busiest cargo hubs — has committed to achieving a net zero carbon emissions by 2050, with the switch to e-vehicles for airside and ground services among the key solution in its recently unveiled sustainability blueprint.
The Airport Authority of Hong Kong (AAHK) set a goal to cut its absolute carbon emissions by 55% by 2035 and subsequently reaching the zero target in 15 years from a 2018 baseline.
Most of the airline industry and supply chain players have committed to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 — with major organizations pledging to do so, along with many in the shipping industry.
"Sustainability is at the centre of our long-term development vision. HKIA’s Net Zero Carbon target not only aligns with the Government’s 2050 carbon neutrality target, but also makes us a leading airport in carbon management. Working closely with business partners, we are confident in achieving our carbon reduction targets in tandem with the future capacity and traffic growth at HKIA," said Fred Lam, chief executive officer of AAHK.
To achieve the target, AAHK has formulated a carbon management action plan which aims at the reduction of both direct emissions at the airport and indirect emissions from consumption of electricity and gas.
Measures that have already been taken forward to reduce direct emissions include electrification of airside vehicles, a ground services equipment pooling scheme, piloting of renewable diesel, among others.
AAHK noted that it is working closely with the airport community under an airport-wide approach to set and achieve the new carbon reduction targets.
"AAHK and the key aviation-related business partners, accounting for about 90% of the carbon footprint at HKIA, have jointly committed to achieving the targets," it said.
World's greenest airport target
Meanwhile, to support business partners in achieving the Net Zero Carbon target, AAHK announced that it is launching a Business Partner Carbon Support Programme that comprises a HK$20 million Green Innovation and Technology Fund to support piloting of new technologies aimed at reducing carbon emissions in the gateway.
The airport also noted support for the use of use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with relevant fueling infrastructure already installed at HKIA that enables airlines to receive, store and uptake pre-blended SAF at Hong Kong's airport.
Peter Lee, general manager, Sustainability of AAHK, noted that "innovation, capacity building and collaboration" are the main focus of the gateway to achieve net zero carbon target.
"We are pleased to see the positive response from our business partners in support of decarbonisation. With the collaborative effort of the airport community, we are fully committed to achieving this net zero carbon target in pursuit of our pledge to make HKIA the world’s greenest airport," Lee added.
