Ground Support Equipment Sustainability Initiatives From Around The World

This March, representatives from the aviation industry gathered in Geneva to meet

with sustainability experts for the 6th Aviation and Environment Summit. On the program: efforts that this sector is taking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including on the ground, at airports around the world. It turns out that ground support equipment is a microcosm of environmental innovation. Consider these examples, which are representative of projects underway at many airports worldwide.

Belfast City Airport: Electrically powered ground support equipment

Like many airports these days, Belfast City Airport has a corporate social responsibility policy. One aspect of this policy? A commitment to protecting local air quality. For example, the Airport monitors the emissions of its ground support equipment fleet.

The Airport has also undertaken the electrification of some of its ground support equipment vehicles, specifically its baggage tractors. This is in addition to reducing the holding time for aircraft on the runway, and improving the flow of traffic on the ground of the airport.

Los Angeles World Airports: 10-year plan to make LAX the Greenest Airport in the World

The ambitious 10-year plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at LAX in Los Angeles by 35% involves a conversion policy for ground support equipment.

The goal is to make all ground support equipment almost zero emission by 2015.

In response to this, suppliers have made efforts to include a wider variety of electric ground support equipment in their catalogues.

Although this move is motivated by a desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it has been noted that the electrification of the ground support equipment fleet presents other advantages as well, including reduced costs, especially in terms of money spent on fuel and maintenance.

New ground support equipment technology on the horizon

Canadas WestJet airline announced on Earth Day that it is converting its existing ground support equipment tractors from gas to electric power, with the help of new conversion technology provided by a company in Richmond, British Columbia.

Although the conversion kit is currently being used to outfit baggage tractors (AKA, tugs) with rechargeable lithium polymer batteries, it is hoped that this program will one day extend to other ground support equipment, such as baggage loaders.

An airport in Whitehorse, Yukon is first on the list to test out this newly converted ground support equipment.

Again, although a desire to reduce greenhouse emissions was the driving factor behind this ground support equipment conversion project, the conversions are expected to save the airline money. Within two years, WestJet predicts that it will have saved enough money from not having had to buy fuel to justify the project solely from a financial perspective.

Kudos to the aviation industry for having done so much to lessen the impact of its ground support equipment fleets on the environment!

by: Percy Evans

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