Environment-Friendly Airports Around the World

The aviation industry is reported to contribute to 2.5% of global greenhouse emissions; this amount is projected to increase to 22% in year 2050. In the wake of this upcoming enlightening age, eco-friendly actions have been taken to find ways to offset this pollution concern. Here are some shining examples of eco-friendly airports around the world.

On August 2015, Cochin International Airport, known as the fourth busiest airport in India, became the world's first fully solar-powered airport. Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, serving as the primary civilian aviation hub for the national capital region of Delhi, India, is the busiest airport in India in terms of passenger traffic since 2009. The use of recycled materials during its construction earned it the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) New Construction Gold Certification by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) in the 2011.

Over in the U.S., the O’Hare International Airport is the primary airport serving the Chicago metropolitan area while Midway International Airport serves as a secondary airport in Chicago. Both are operated by the City of Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA), which is the first in the nation to develop sustainable guidelines for design and construction at airports.

Seymour Airport of Baltra, also known as Galapagos Ecological Airport, is operating entirely on power gained from the sun and wind.

Over in Europe, Zürich Airport, also known as Zürich Kloten Airport, is the largest international airport of Switzerland. The airport has a reputation for adopting an airport-wide waste management concept based on the principles of avoidance, reuse and environmentally friendly disposal.

Further up north of Europe, Oslo Airport is the main domestic hub and international airport in Norway. In Oslo, a new expansion to the city’s existing airport provides another, more sustainable way of designing airport structures.

Over in Toronto, Canada, the Pearson International Airport’s eco-initiative is a honeybee apiary dubbed YYbeeZ.

In Asia, Changi International Airport in Singapore is dubbed a green airport by design.