Ground handling vehicles at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport will soon run on 100 per cent biofuel, the airport announced on Thursday (8 December).
From 1 January 2023, all vehicles operating on the airport’s apron will be fuelled by biofuel HVO100, instead of gas-to-liquid (GTL). The move has been labelled an “intermediate solution” as the airport works to improve infrastructure for electric vehicles.
“This is a significant step on the way towards a zero-emission ground operation in 2030,” said Denise Pronk, head of sustainability at Royal Schiphol Group.
“Everyone on airside is making use of it, including Aviapartner, dnata, Menzies, Swissport, KLM Ground Services and Viggo. We're pleased about that,” she added.
The HVO100 biofuel will be supplied by KLM Equipment Services (KES), which currently supplies the airport’s apron vehicles.
According to KES, 40 per cent of motorised equipment at Schiphol currently runs on electricity, a number that is expected to increase in the coming years.
“However, for a number of specialist heavy vehicles it is a technical challenge to develop a battery with sufficient capacity that can also be charged quickly enough. [HVO100 biofuel] is therefore a good intermediate solution,” said Paul Feldbrugge, manager, engineering sales and logistics at KES.
Schiphol Airport has a goal to become emissions-free by 2030, with all ground vehicles powered by electricity or hydrogen.