A comparative study on air emissions generated by aircraft and passenger cars at a medium-size Italian airport

Emissions reduction is a common goal in many urban and regional mobility plans, with emphasis usually placed on the contribution given by private traffic. But in sensitive environments, like airport areas, the contribution given by aircraft is often underestimated. The paper moves from this consideration and presents the Ciampino Airport case study, where surface and air traffic contributions in generating emission are described, along with the methodology to calculate both. Road traffic-generated emissions appears to be marginal if compared to those generated by aircraft, and this should lead to reconsider the transport policies when focusing on such sensitive areas.

Automated summary

This paper highlights the underestimation of aircraft emissions in sensitive environments such as airport areas, and emphasizes the importance of reconsidering transport policies in such areas where road traffic emissions are marginal compared to those generated by aircraft.