Sustainable Performances of Small to Medium-Sized Airports in the Adriatic Region

The aim of the present paper is to evaluate the greenhouse gas savings and economic benefits associated with sustainable water and energy management at six small-to-medium airports in the Adriatic region. All the data were provided by the airport authorities in terms of the consumption of water, electricity, and energy for heating and company-operated vehicles for three years (2016-2018), as well as information about good practices and the sustainable use of water and energy resources. For the water and energy benchmarks, the most plausible predictive variables were selected according to the literature relevant to the environmental benchmarking of airports. The stepwise linear regression method was used to select the most significant predictive variables in explaining the dataset. The airports showed positive steps towards sustainability, such as a higher share of natural gas in the mix of fuel used for heating, and a green electricity tariff. The CO2 emissions and budget related to motor fuels were less than a quarter of the emissions and budget for energy consumption for heating and electricity. To achieve the goal of zero-emission airports, the decarbonisation of motor fuels and transport should follow the actions aimed at increasing energy efficiency and clean energy for heating and electricity.

Automated summary

This study evaluated the impact of sustainable water and energy management on greenhouse gas emissions and economic benefits at six small-to-medium airports in the Adriatic region. The results showed that the airports are taking positive steps towards sustainability, with a higher share of natural gas in heating fuel and green electricity tariffs. Efforts to achieve zero-emission airports should focus on decarbonizing motor fuels and improving energy efficiency and clean energy for heating and electricity.