London Gatwick Airport will “accelerate” its plans to reduce carbon emissions from the UK hub and achieve net zero by 2030, 10 years ahead of its previous commitment.
In its 2022 annual report, the airport “recognised the urgent need to make net zero a reality” with plans to invest more than £250 million to reduce its Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions.
This investment will include building an electric vehicle fleet and charging stations to “phase out” petrol and diesel, replacing gas boilers and refrigerants with low carbon alternatives, and continued investment in on-site renewable energy, including solar power.
Further details on how the airport plans to achieve its climate goals will be shared “in the coming months”.
Managed by global operator Vinci Airports – which also runs Lisbon and Belfast International Airport – Gatwick’s new carbon reduction commitments are aligned to the operator’s environmental action plan, which aims for all 24 of its EU airports to be net zero by 2030.
The airport reported a return to profitability in 2022, with £776.6 million in revenue (and a profit of £196.5 million) driven by a “strong and steady” recovery in passenger numbers throughout the year.
London Gatwick’s short-haul network was the first to show strong recovery in 2022 and now serves 156 destinations, with easyJet flying 72 per cent of these routes. Short-haul travel volumes are currently at 92 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, while long-haul connectivity is “taking longer to recover but has bounced back robustly in recent months” and now stands at 76 per cent of 2019 levels.
Nevertheless, the airport remains “cautiously optimistic” about a full recovery.
London Gatwick Airport CEO Stewart Wingate said: “While we still have some way to go to reach a full recovery, we know long-term sustainable investment is critical to the future of our airport and provides a significant boost to the regional and national economy.
“This year we are pushing forward with a number of projects to improve resilience and the overall passenger experience, including preparing our planning application to bring the existing Northern Runway into routine use.”
Wingate continued: “Central to this is our commitment for our business to be net zero for Scope 1 and 2 by 2030. The aviation industry is addressing the challenges, and we are working closely with our stakeholders to ensure we create a sustainable airport for the future.”