The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has launched the IATA Environmental Assessment for Airports and Ground Service Providers (IEnvA for Airports and GSPs).
Edmonton International Airport is the first participant in the expanded IEnvA and will play a leadership role as the value chain aligns to ensure a sustainable future for air transport, IATA said.
IEnvA for Airports and GSPs is an expansion of the existing IEnvA for Airlines. IEnvA programmes enable participants to build robust environmental management plans with continual performance improvements. Some 50 airlines participate in IEnvA, 34 of them fully certified and the reminder on their way to certification.
“IEnvA has a solid track record of improving the environmental performance of airlines. As the aviation industry committed to improving sustainability, including achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, the expansion of IEnvA to airports and GSPs is critical,” said Sebastian Mikosz, IATA’s senior vice president for environment and sustainability.
“With Edmonton International Airport’s pioneering participation in the expanded programme, we have a clear signal that the industry’s sustainability commitments are being actioned in a systematic results-orientated approach across the value chain.”
IEnvA is an environmental management system based on standards and best practices that were built in collaboration with airlines, airports, ground service providers, IATA and sustainability experts. It complies with ISO14001 (Environmental Management) requirements and uses IATA’s expertise in safety auditing (IOSA) for oversight, governance and quality control.
According to IATA, IEnvA for Airports and GSPs will make use of tried-and-tested IEnvA oversight, governance, and quality control processes and will include provision of standards and recommended practices, training access, readiness workshops and external assessment.
Edmonton International Airport will work with IATA to establish the IEnvA Standards for Airports and guidance material to broadly improve performance in areas such as emissions, waste, water, noise, energy, and biodiversity. As with IEnvA for Airlines, upon a successful independent assessment, Edmonton and other successful entities will be included in the IEnvA Certification Registry.
Image: A living wall at Edmonton International Airport, courtesy of the airport
