Atkins and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have developed a set of digital tools designed to reduce the amount of carbon emissions in airport terminal construction
According to Atkins, the tool prioritises credibility, transparency, and flexibility.
Atkins, along with the SNC-Lavalin Group, specialises in designing major aircraft programmes, global airport infrastructure, and sustainable aviation projects, including advanced air mobility aircraft.
The service offers airports a data-based tool for the creation of decarbonisation roadmaps.
Through the digital toolkit, airports can improve their understanding of the environmental impacts caused by construction. It will allow them to identify and implement new environmental strategies.
Improving carbon emissions in airport terminal construction is an urgent priority
In light of the global aviation industry’s growth following the Covid-19 pandemic, it has become increasingly important to modernise airport infrastructure in line with net-zero targets.
The digital tools will calculate the embodied carbon for three key airport assets: terminal buildings, runways, and multi-storey car parks. This data will help airport development teams understand the carbon footprint of their projects and start talks with airport operators to find ways to improve.
Unlike existing tools that measure carbon in buildings and at later stages of design, this digital toolkit is designed specifically for aviation and provides. The tools provide the most value when applied early in the design process.
“Our embodied carbon advisory team have worked with IATA to develop a set of innovative industry tools, leading a mature aviation market into a challenging and previously unexplored area of embodied carbon assessment,” said Andy Yates, technical director of aviation infrastructure for Atkins.
“These tools allow clients to confidently explore the vital conversations around embodied carbon reduction as airports respond to the complex challenges that surround the sector’s net zero goals,” he added.
The aviation sector is damaging the UK’s net-zero ambitions
If all the planned airport expansions in the UK were approved, it would lead to an annual increase of up to 9m tonnes (Mt) of CO2 emissions by 2050. These figures are in addition to the projected 19m tonnes of CO2 emissions from the industry in 2050. Therefore, substantial investment in carbon removal technologies is needed to achieve the UK’s net-zero targets.
“Decarbonising aviation is the industry’s greatest challenge, and the industry is fully committed and making progress. However, reaching net zero by 2050 will require collective efforts from the entire industry supply chain and from policymakers,” said Nick Careen, senior vice president of operations, safety, and security at IATA.
“Our collaboration with Atkins on this innovative digital toolkit will help airports meet their own objectives by providing a crucial platform to evaluate and reduce carbon impacts for new airport developments,” he concluded.
