New Delhi: Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) announced on Wednesday that Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has become the first airport in India to achieve “net zero carbon emission airport status (Level 5 certification)” under the Airport Council International’s (ACI) Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) program.
Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, CEO of DIAL – a consortium led by GMR, shared this news in a video message during an event at COP26, titled “Delivering the Net Zero Airport of the Future,” hosted by ACI.
On November 23, DIAL released a statement declaring its commitment to conducting business in an eco-friendly and sustainable way by minimizing the environmental impact of its operations with the necessary pollution control systems and safeguards in place.
Jaipuriar stated that Delhi Airport is on a robust environmental progress path and aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2030, in accordance with the Airport Carbon Accreditation guidelines.
With the attainment of Level 5 certification, DIAL has shown substantial progress in cutting its Scope 1 and 2 CO2 emissions by 90%. The remaining emissions have been compensated for through approved offset removals, meeting the rigorous standards of the ACA program. DIAL has also pledged to reach net zero for Scope 3 emissions by 2050, in line with ACI’s ACA frameworks and the worldwide movement towards a sustainable future.
In a pioneering move in 2019, DIAL introduced EVs and Taxibots (semi-robotic vehicles for taxiing aircraft to the runway) for commercial use, becoming the first airport globally to do so.
Before this, the airport had initiated programs for the utilization of renewable energy, the creation of eco-friendly airport infrastructures, various passenger connectivity networks, energy conservation, and efficiency enhancements, as well as stakeholder partnership initiatives, among other things.
The goal of Net Zero carbon emissions is to make adjustments that minimize carbon emissions to the lowest possible level, with offsetting as a final option.
