Committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the aviation industry's ESG strategies, Zurich Airport Brasil implemented a system at Florianópolis and Vitória airports that provides electrical energy from renewable sources for aircraft on the ground. The equipment ensures that the electrical part and air conditioning of planes on the ground work only with the energy supplied by the airport, purchased from the Free Energy Market and certified with the I-REC (International Renewable Energy Certificate).
 
Before that, it was necessary to use external diesel generators (GPU) or drive the plane's own kerosene turbine (APU) to maintain operation. By eliminating the use of GPUs and APUs, it is planned to reduce emissions of around 1.300 tons of CO2 per year at the Florianópolis terminal and 1.200 tons per year at Vitória Airport. 
 
The Swiss group invested R$21 million to install the system on the ten boarding bridges in Florianópolis, and on the six bridges in the capital of Espírito Santo. In addition to the airports managed by Zurich Airport Brasil, only two other airports in the country offer the solution, which came into operation in March this year. By the end of this year, the system will arrive at Natal International Airport, managed by Zurich Airport Brasil since February 19, with a new investment of almost R$6,8 million.
 
“To be effective in contributing to the climate agenda we need to transform our commitment to the environment into actions. The important investment made by Zurich Airport Brasil in this project reinforces the priority of the topic for the company and represents a major advance in our ESG strategy,” highlights Ricardo Gesse, CEO of Zurich Airport Brasil.
 
The program has the support of the country's main companies: Azul, Gol and Latam signed a contract with the airport administrator to use the service from the beginning of operation. The project has the support of the Brazilian Association of Airlines (Abear) and the Brazilian Association of Airports (ABR).
 
“The airline sector’s decarbonization journey is a broad commitment, involving companies and airports. This Zurich initiative reflects the importance of complementing actions with immediate effect, so that the sector can achieve the objective of neutralizing emissions by 2050. In the case of airlines, the decarbonization journey also includes measures such as reviewing routes to gain efficiency and encouraging the use of SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) in the long term”, says the president of ABEAR, Jurema Monteiro.
  
As a result of this and other actions developed to contribute to the environment: the group's airports were recognized with important sustainability awards. Florianópolis and Macaé are currently the most sustainable airports in the country in their categories (up to 5 million and up to 200 thousand passengers, respectively), according to ANAC's Sustainable Airports Award. At an international level, the three airports operated by the company – Floripa Airport (Santa Catarina), Vitória Airport (Espírito Santo) and Macaé Airport (Rio de Janeiro) achieved level 2 (Reduction Level) of the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) certification, granted by ACI (Airport Council International) The certification also recognizes the innovative Carbon Flow, a system developed 100% by Zurich Airport Brasil employees, capable of mapping the carbon footprint and creating solutions to reduce environmental impact.
 
“The commitment of Brazilian airports granted to aviation sustainability is not only recognized in the various awards from regulated entities, nationally and internationally, but also in the medium and long-term investments made by concessionaires, through concession contracts, that permanently prioritize actions from the perspective of the ESG agenda at national airports. Working towards more sustainable aviation belongs to all of us in the global airport infrastructure chain”, reinforces the CEO of ABR Aeroportos do Brasil, Fábio Rogério Carvalho.
 
Zurich Airport Brasil's Sustainability Area operates with a focus on four central themes: energy, water, waste and air quality management. In the latest edition of ANAC's Sustainable Airports Award, Florianópolis and Macaé Airports, also managed by Zurich Airport Brasil, won first place in their categories.