Source: ACI-LAC

  • Nuevo Pudahuel has managed to certify the reduction of 11% of emissions in the last three years
  • Among the various lines of action, the construction of an “On-Grid” photovoltaic plant stands out on the roof of the national terminal, which allows it to generate a power of 825,774 kW, which is equivalent to planting more than a thousand trees or taking 130 fuel vehicles out of circulation. traditional

1.- Nuevo Pudahuel Group has just inaugurated the new international terminal at Santiago airport and this operation represents the largest investment in the history of concessions in Chile. How would you describe this show of confidence in the resumption of the air transport industry, which is still suffering from the impacts of Covid-19?

For Nuevo Pudahuel and its shareholders, Groupe ADP, VINCI Airports and Astaldi Concessioni, the commitments to the State are long-term. This requires working as partners to achieve the welfare that the authorities seek to deliver to the population through the concessioned work, and for Nuevo Pudahuel to activate its international experience and achieve 3 fundamental objectives: attracting new airlines and opening more routes, fulfilling our commitment to be carbon neutral through sustainable technology and investing in innovation to make the passenger experience as expeditious and comfortable as possible. This brings benefits for the State of Chile and for Nuevo Pudahuel; for the country this translates into greater competition among airlines, consequent lower prices and democratization of air transportation, and for Nuevo Pudahuel to demonstrate why its shareholders are the world leaders in airport construction and operation, Groupe ADP with 29 airports and VINCI Airports with 53, 16 of them in Latin America and the Caribbean. Mutual trust is the only and best way for both partners to consolidate a mutually beneficial public-private alliance.         

2.- Santiago Airport was one of the first airports in South America to achieve level 2 ACA (Airport Carbon Accreditation) issued by ACI. What does this mean in the context of the airport’s sustainability plans?

Nuevo Pudahuel’s plans for the Santiago airport are based on the commitments of VINCI Airports and Groupe ADP to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. In the case of VINCI Airports, its president, Nicolas Notebaert, announced in 2016 that the group was the first in the world to adopt an international environmental strategy to achieve net zero emissions for the entire network by 2050, in the case of Lyon Terminals, this will be a reality in 2026 thanks to 5 pillars: implementation of carbon sinks to sequester residual emissions from its airports, applying the development and supply of sustainable aviation fuel such as biofuels and hydrogen, having created the world’s largest clean hydrogen infrastructure fund in partnership with Total Energies and Air Liquide, implementation of LED technology, and electrifying its fleets and facilitating the use of electric vehicles. While Groupe ADP invests and acts daily to make its airports carbon neutral. Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Orly and Paris-Le Bourget airports are committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. Three of the group’s airports are already carbon neutral: Izmir and Ankara in Turkey and Amman in Jordan. This is tremendously important to conclude that the two shareholders of Nuevo Pudahuel want Santiago airport to be part of this plan, and that we are willing to invest even more in Arturo Merino Benítez to achieve carbon neutrality, but this must be done in the company and alliance of the State of Chile, otherwise it is impossible. Specifically, Nuevo Pudahuel has achieved an 11% reduction in emissions in the last three years. We are working on several lines of action: the construction of an “On-Grid” photovoltaic plant on the roof of the domestic terminal, which allows us to generate a power of 825,774 kw, which is equivalent to planting more than a thousand trees or removing 130 traditional fuel vehicles from circulation, through our reforestation plan we have donated, together with our passengers, more than 600 native trees to Pudahuel, the commune of Santiago where the airport is located, where we have also reforested 7. We have also reforested 7,27 hectares with 20,000 native trees, we have changed 10,336 luminaires for LED lights, which generate 70% energy savings, which is in line with the design of the new international terminal, which incorporates more natural light in its spaces.

3.- For the second consecutive year, the Santiago airport received the ACI “Voice of the Customer” award (which recognizes airports for the quality of services provided to passengers), in addition to being recertified by the Airport HealthAccreditation program (for the implementation of health protocols due to Covid-19). Would you say that ACI’s support is crucial in the quality and safety strategies of the Nuevo Pudahuel consortium?

ACI’s standards, projects and recognitions drive the aeronautical industry to be a reference in the face of climate change, the pandemic we are experiencing and in the quality of service. This is how Nuevo Pudahuel has been a pioneer in the region with various services to improve the customer experience, from the implementation of various sanitary protocols to reinforce passenger confidence, with information, indications to ensure distancing and more than 70 alcohol dispensers. With the work of our service assistants, the reinforcement of service information in our face-to-face and digital channels, which seek to enrich the airport experience, beyond a space to travel, such as a digital library with 25. We have also created spaces for art, such as an installation with 250 looms made by Mapuche women during the pandemic, which will welcome travelers to the new terminal, in addition to the promotion of cultural expressions, which will soon come to life in the new amphitheater for 250 people and in an exhibition hall, both located in the new boulevards, consolidating the airport as a public space. The fact that our passengers have recognized and celebrated these actions through the surveys and processes that ACI carries out to distinguish those airports that have done a good job in the pursuit of excellence speaks of the good practices that ACI seeks to sustain over time.