Newquay Cornwall Airport has been officially recognised for its effective carbon emissions reduction and management programme, with the accreditation of Level 2 ‘Reduction’ by Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA), the worldwide carbon standard for airports.
It is now one of eight ACA accredited airports in the UK, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Manchester and is the only airport in the South West of the UK to be in receipt of Level 2 ‘Reduction’ ACA accreditation.
To achieve this accreditation, airports are required to submit independently verified evidence of effective carbon management procedures, whilst demonstrating a year-on-year reduction in carbon emissions under its direct control.
Between 2010 and 2013 carbon emissions at Newquay Cornwall Airport have been reduced by 30%, and the airport is now in a strong position to realise its target of cutting emissions by 40% by 2020.
Of all the work undertaken to reduce carbon emissions at the airport, it is the connection of Newquay Cornwall Airport to the adjacent Cornwall Council 5MW Kernow Solar Park (KSP) that has made the most significant impact on emissions to date. By connecting directly to this local energy supply the airport now has 24% of all its operational energy needs met by a sustainable source of clean energy and has made substantial operational savings as a result.
Al Titterington, Managing Director of Cornwall Airport Limited said: “This is another important step towards becoming a model regional airport for sustainability. The delivery of this important ACA certification has been the culmination of five years of working closely with our partners at Cornwall Council and Cornwall Development Company to implement, monitor and fine-tune our carbon management systems.”
