EUROCONTROL and Airport Regions Council Strengthen Cooperation to Reduce the Environmental Impact of Airport Operations
The Airport Regions Council (ARC) and EUROCONTROL signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on using EUROCONTROL’s Collaborative Environmental Management (CEM) to reinforce their joint efforts to achieve a sustainable aviation sector in the following decades.
EUROCONTROL’s CEM Specifications, which have recently been updated taking into account new challenges such as the use of sustainable aviation fuels, describe a process whereby core operational stakeholders at an airport can coordinate actions to reduce the environmental impact of airport operations, while maximising the airport’s current and future performance.
Philippe Merlo, DECMA Director, EUROCONTROL, said:In the coming years the aviation sector will have to tackle the historic challenge of decarbonisation. EUROCONTROL’s CEM supports airports and their partners to put in place the best processes to successfully lower their environmental impact. The ARC, as the association representing regional and local authorities which host or neighbour an airport, is an important partner for airports and communities as they seek to minimise environmental impacts. We welcome the opportunity to cooperate closely with ARC and their members to accelerate aviation decarbonisation.
By working within the framework of the CEM Specification, public administrations and airports can strengthen their cooperation, improving efficiency and leading to collaborative solutions that benefit all stakeholders involved. Adopting CEM as a continued and organised dialogue with local authorities and communities can contribute to achieving sustainable development goals and delivering in other areas such as quality of life, health outcomes, air quality, and noise.
Erich Valentin, President, Airport Regions Council (ARC), said:After years of successful collaboration, Airport Regions Council and EUROCONTROL have decided to strengthen their common and committed work for sustainable aviation by signing this Memorandum of Understanding. The MoU underlines that the shared vision on environmental matters at airports is the best way to ensure quality of life for citizens, and a sustainable future for aviation.
CEM can:
- Support understanding and awareness of environmental/operational inter-dependencies among internal operational stakeholders;
- Focus on identifying the root causes of environmental impacts/risks and facilitating common sustainable solutions;
- Facilitate a robust and transparent dialogue that can harmonise relations with authorities and engagement with local communities and businesses.
This article was originally published by EUROCONTROL.
