Written question WQ96111

The Welsh Government’s strategy for the Airport aims to encourage the development and local adoption of more sustainable aircraft propulsion technologies and to reduce carbon emissions from the Airport’s infrastructure.

The Airport has committed to the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and to offer this to airlines at Cardiff Airport as soon as practicably possible. However, we see SAF as an intermediate carbon reduction solution, as the industry looks to the development of new zero-emission aircraft, such as hydrogen-fuelled and electric powered aircraft.

I understand the Airport will be updating and publishing a new version of its environmental flightpath in due course which will map out its pathway to Net Zero.

The Airport is committed to its business and infrastructure becoming carbon neutral, however, due to the current economic climate it is extremely challenging for any regional airport to achieve the objective of achieving Net Zero by 2050 across all of its operations.The Airport has reduced its carbon emissions by over 60% in the last four years, from 1,700 tonnes to under 600 tonnes of CO2 annually, with an aim to reduce this by a further 50% over the next five years.

I have shared below some of the airport’s other achievements in this area, which highlights how the business is already reducing its CO2 emissions:

• The airport is powered entirely by renewable and clean energy sources;

• It is heavily focused on recycling and is zero waste landfill;

• It has reduced its natural gas consumption by 30%;

• It has replaced assets with modern and more energy efficient technology;

• It has introduced a number of new electric powered vehicles to its operational fleet which will be used at Cardiff Airport and St Athan Aerodrome by the car parks, security, airfield operations and bird control teams;

• The airport restricts ground running of engines during anti-social hours;

• It uses continuous descent operations for aircraft on approach, promoting noise abatement;

• It encourages twin engine aircraft to taxi with one engine;

• The airport has introduced a replacement programme of LED lighting; and

• It continues to reduce plastic consumption with its partners.

We continue to work with the UK Government and Cardiff Airport to reduce the environmental impacts of aviation.