Dubai Airports has published its initial ESG Impact Report, which aims to set out the progress currently being made towards building more resilient, inclusive, and responsible airport communities across Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International (DWC).
The report, which covers 2024 and 2025, combines Dubai Airports’ environmental, social and governance priorities and selected results under three pillars: Planet, People & Community, and Business.
Establishing an initial framework for measuring and communicating progress as the scale of Dubai Airports’ operations continue to expand, the report covers the company’s corporate performance, as well as selected examples from the wider airport ecosystem, including initiatives delivered with partners through the oneDXB Sustainability Alliance.
Aligned with the Airports Council International (ACI) ESG Global Reporting Framework, the report seeks to mark a crucial step in the continued development of Dubai Airports’ ESG reporting whilst showing how sustainability is already integrated into the way Dubai Airports operates. This includes reductions in emissions and energy consumption, accessibility improvements, investments in people, advancing of responsible governance and collaborations with partners across Dubai’s aviation community.
Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said:Sustainability cannot sit on the sidelines of the business. It has to influence the choices we make, the way we operate and how we plan for the future. We are clear about where we can make the greatest difference, from reducing the impact of our own operations to bringing partners together around the wider challenge of decarbonising aviation.
There are no quick fixes, and progress will require honesty, discipline, and sustained action across the entire aviation community. This report provides a transparent account of where we are today, the practical steps already under way and the work still ahead of us as we continue to grow and create long-term value for Dubai, the UAE, and the communities we connect.
Sustainability
The report highlights a slew of advancements made by the company thus far, including a reduction in electricity consumption by 144.72 GWh against its 2019 baseline as of June 2025. Elsewhere, it states that the company delivered 24,115 learning hours through learning and leadership programmes to 1,531 staff and extended development initiatives to 17,349 service partners.
Additionally, the report highlights Dubai Airports’ 45 MWp rooftop solar programme across DXB and DWC – one of the region’s largest airport-based renewable energy initiatives – as well as the introduction of a 5% biodiesel blend across airport and partner vehicle fleets.
Within the report, Dubai Airport states that one of the key enablers of progress has been the oneDXB Sustainability Alliance, which aims to bring together partners across the airport ecosystem in order to accelerate decarbonisation and sustainable aviation initiatives.
Dubai Airports’ environmental priorities are predominantly guided by its Decarbonisation Strategy, which, established in 2023, focuses on reducing emissions associated with electricity, water, fuel, and waste, while integrating renewable energy, lower-carbon infrastructure, and green mobility into the future development of DXB and DWC.
Other focuses for the company include waste reduction, with the company having introduced a number of initiatives in order to increase recycling, divert waste from landfill and support more circular approaches to resource management. At FXB, a set of seven food-waste digesters provide a combined processing capacity of 4,900 kg per day, enabling Dubai Airports to divert 76% of its total waste from landfill in 2025, with the diversion rate having reaching 100% in May 2026.
Finally, the report highlights how Dubai Airpots supports its entire ecosystem – people, guests, and the wider community as a whole. Accessibility is intended to remain a shared priority across DXB, with eight dedicated services for People of Determination and 52,619 learners across fourteen partner entities completing accessibility training in 2025, whilst, by the end of 2025, 36,040 sunflower lanyards had also been distributed to support guests with hidden disabilities.
