ACI held ACI Airport Day Colombia for the first time in Colombia

The event, held at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel Aeropuerto, in Bogota, Colombia, addressed the opportunities and challenges of the airport industry in the face of one of the main issues of today, which is sustainable development, especially the reduction to zero of carbon emissions in aviation.

At the opening of the ACI AIRPORT DAY COLOMBIA, from 9 am, the general director of ACI-LAC, Rafael Echevarne, who welcomed and opened the way to the authorities. He also highlighted the importance and objective of the event and what ACI represents for airport members. Mauricio Ossa, president of Opain, host of the event, welcomed the participants and highlighted the social and environmental challenges of Colombian airports. Francisco Ospina, General Director of Aerocivil Colombia and Juan Francisco Arboleda, Vice President of ANI, welcomed the attendees and discussed the great challenges faced by Colombian airports in relation to the theme of the event “Sustainable Development”.

ACI-LAC’s Director of Industry Relations, Francisco Medela, presented for the first time in a face-to-face event in the country the details of the commitment made with airports around the world to achieve the goal of reducing carbon emissions to zero by the year 2050.

The long-term goal is an absolute reduction, i.e. without offsets, and concerns emissions that are under the direct control of airports, such as, for example, the power supply of infrastructure and fuel for vehicles driving in terminal areas.

To this end, airports around the world already have the technical support of ACI, through its Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) program, the only global training and consulting program for carbon management in the airport market, which evaluates and recognizes the efforts of airports and certifies them at six levels: ‘Mapping’, ‘Reduction’, ‘Optimization’, ‘Neutrality’, ‘Transformation’ and ‘Transition’.

Currently, El Dorado International Airport has the Airport Carbon Accreditation certification and is among the airports certified at the “Reduction” level. During the event, Andres Ortega, General Manager of OPAIN, gave a presentation on El Dorado Airport’s roadmap to combat Climate Change.

ACI AIRPORT DAY COLOMBIA also provided discussions on waste management at airports, the adoption of sustainable fuels and the integration of aircraft powered by alternative fuel sources into the airport environment.

Speakers and panelists included Tania Chacin, Director of Sustainability at El Dorado International Airport; Adriana Bejarano, Director of EHS at AERIS Holding; Maria Lara, Director of Corporate Affairs at LATAM Airlines Colombia; Andreu Carbonell, President of Flare Consulting; Joaquin Caraballo, CEO of W2W; Pedro de la Fuente, Director of External Affairs and Sustainability Americas at IATA; Peter Gal, General Manager of To70; Patricia Roji – Assistant Manager of Sustainability and Environment of GAP; Keisha Mohan, Director of Safety and Environmental Health of Montego Bay Airport Jamaica; Antonio Baeza, Director of Quality and Environment of Nuevo Pudahuel; Ángela Páez, Aeronautical Director of Aerocivil as well as Sergio Parra, Regional Director Latin America of NACO Netherlands Airport Consultants.