ACI World and Airbus Cooperate to Reduce Environmental Impact of Aviation

Luis Felipe de Oliveira, ACI World Director General & CEO, and Julie Kitcher, Airbus Chief Sustainability Officer, signing the cooperation agreement. Photo source: ACI World

Airports Council International (ACI) World and European aircraft manufacturing company Airbus recently signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) to support the aviation industry’s efforts to reduce its environmental impact.

According to an announcement, the partnership leverages the strengths of the world’s leading aircraft manufacturer and the largest international association of airports to make significant progress in both decarbonizing aviation and mitigating aircraft noise impacts.

“ACI World and Airbus’ groundbreaking cooperation agreement marks a pivotal step in our journey towards a net-zero carbon aviation industry,” said Luis Felipe de Oliveira, ACI World Director General and CEO.

The partnership is expected to not only reduce their environmental impact but also maximize the socio-economic benefits of air travel, according to de Oliveira.

Key areas the alliance will focus on

Photo source: Airbus

This alliance will address key areas of the aviation industry, such as:

– Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF)
– Hydrogen technologies
– Advanced air mobility
– Operations efficiency
– Aircraft noise management practices

Moreover, the alliance will foster the exchange of information and perspectives on low-carbon operations, communicate industry progress, jointly develop guidance materials, and potentially formulate unified positions on policies and standards to achieve industry targets.

“By combining our technological expertise with ACI World’s vast network and operational insights, we aim to influence policies and standards that support sustainable aviation and drive industry-wide innovation,” highlighted Julie Kitcher, Airbus Chief Sustainability Officer.

Thecollaboration builds on the successful partnership between Airbus and ACI Europe, which began two years ago and has significantly strengthened the relationship by working together on the deployment of alternative energies including hydrogen and SAF within European alliances. They have also shared technical data with European airports and communicating progress at key industry events.

According to ACI World, the expansion of this collaboration to a global scale underscores the importance of integrated efforts between aircraft manufacturers and airport operators worldwide.