Four regional airports operated by Finavia, the operator of 20 airports across Finland – Ivalo, Kittilä, Kuusamo and Rovaniemi, have met all the stringent requirements of the recently introduced Level 5 of Airport Carbon Accreditation. They join the ranks of global trailblazers, as only ten airports (Amsterdam-Schiphol, Eindhoven, Rotterdam-The Hague Airport, Beja Airport, Madeira Airport, Ponta Delgada Airport, Christchurch Airport, Göteborg-Landvetter Airport, Malmö Airport, and Toulon-Hyères Airport) in the world have reached this level of carbon management maturity thus far.

Level 5 is the new topmost level of the global standard for carbon emissions management and reduction for airports, owned by Airports Council International. Its introduction constituted a breakthrough in airport carbon management, certifying airports for reaching and maintaining a net zero carbon balance for emissions under their control (Scope 1 and 2), and extending mapping, influencing and reporting requirements for all other emissions (Scope 3). Airports reaching this level are fully on track with the objective of the Paris Agreement with regard to emissions under their control, at the same time championing net zero transition amongst their business partners, including airlines, ground handling companies, F&B and retail outlets, tenants and more.

 The case study in airport decarbonisation
 
 At Finavia airports, carbon emissions are mainly caused by use of electricity, terminal heating, generation of emergency power, and vehicle energy consumption. Since 2018, the electricity used for e.g. lighting has been emission-free, and the airports’ vehicles have been fuelled with diesel made from waste and residues. In 2023, Finavia switched to using renewable motor fuel oil in heavy airport equipment, such as fire engines, at Ivalo, Kittilä, Kuusamo, and Rovaniemi airports. The airport operator has also transitioned to using renewable energy for terminal heating, such as district heating based on biofuels. In addition, ground handling is operated with electric vehicles or by using renewables only. This way, Finavia was able to minimise carbon emissions from their operations and reach the goal of net-zero emissions at four airports in Northern Finland.