Swedavia’s climate transition work receives international honour – Stockholm Arlanda named Eco-Innovation Airport of the Year

The international trade organisation Airports Council International (ACI) has named Sweden’s largest airport – Stockholm Arlanda Airport – Eco-Innovation Airport of the Year. The rationale given for the decision is Swedavia’s climate transition work and work as a leader in operating climate-smart airports.

Swedavia’s climate transition work has now been honoured in ACI Europe’s annual ranking of European airports for their outstanding efforts– its Best Airport Award Winners for 2021. Stockholm Arlanda is held up as “a pioneer in the forefront of sustainable development, [which] is leading by example by becoming fossil-free in a short timeframe,” through its systematic and consistent approach, which has involved employees as well as other stakeholders.

“Naturally, I am very proud of the goal-directed climate work that has been carried out for many years in order for Swedavia to achieve our goal of zero fossil carbon dioxide emissions from our own airport operations. We have amazing employees, who thanks to their great engagement and long-term, dedicated work, together with a strong drive to find innovative solutions, have achieved the ambitious sustainability target set ten years ago and which at that time was considered unattainable,” says Jonas Abrahamsson, Swedavia’s president and CEO.

Just before the end of 2020, Swedavia became one of the first airport operators in the world to achieve fossil-free operations run under its own management at Stockholm Arlanda and nine other airports. Today Swedavia runs extensive airport operations across Sweden, which only around ten years ago emitted about 8,000 tonnes of fossil carbon dioxide annually, a figure that has now been reduced to zero.

“Swedavia wants to play a driving role in aviation’s climate transition, which is absolutely essential for the air travel of the future. The fact that we now once again have been honoured internationally for our dedicated transition work in the form of Arlanda, our largest airport, being given an international award by ACI is confirmation that we are a world leader in operating and developing sustainable airports. We will now continue our work to support aviation’s climate transition, including through our efforts with sustainable aviation fuel and infrastructure for electric aircraft,” says Jonas Abrahamsson.

Measures implemented to transform Swedavia’s operations include having all airports today run on renewable electricity and heating/cooling, using renewable fuel for the uninterruptible power supply, and having Swedavia’s fleet of vehicles powered by electricity or renewable fuels.

For example, Swedavia today has some 800 vehicles, nearly 300 of which are at Stockholm Arlanda Airport. Almost half of the fleet is now powered by electricity, and the rest of the vehicles run on renewable fuels, such as HVO and biogas. Between 2015 and 2020 alone, Swedavia invested nearly 650 million kronor in a rejuvenated, fossil-free fleet of vehicles.

In 2006, Swedavia achieved climate neutrality, and in 2011 the goal was set to reduce Swedavia’s fossil carbon dioxide emissions from its own operations to zero by the end of 2020. The first airports to achieve this goal were Ronneby Airport in January 2017 and Visby Airport and Luleå Airport in 2018.

For further information about the award: Airports Council International Europe | ACI EUROPE - Press Release (aci-europe.org)

For further information, please contact Swedavia’s press office at tel. +46 (0)10-109 01 00 or press@swedavia.se.