Source: ACI-LAC

  • The Airports Council International Latin America and the Caribbean reports that Amazonia Airports Concessionaire has just joined ACI-LAC’s network of member airports

The Airports Council International Latin America and the Caribbean reports that Amazonia Airports Concessionaire has just joined ACI-LAC’s network of member airports.

The new subsidiary operates seven airports in the Amazon region, which together accounted for just over 18,000 flights and handled more than 1.1 million passengers in the first three months of 2022. The airports are located in the cities of Manaus, Tefé and Tabatinga, in Amazonas; Rio Branco and Cruzeiro do Sul, in Acre; Porto Velho, in Rondônia; and Boa Vista, in Roraima.

Amazonia Airports Concessionaire is part of VINCI Airports, the largest private airport operator in the world, with more than 50 airports in 11 countries in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. VINCI Airports was the first airport operator to commit in 2016 to a global international environmental strategy to achieve zero net emissions across its network by 2050.

For these results to be achieved in the Amazon region, activities at the airports will be developed in four areas: reduction of carbon emissions; reduction of drinking water consumption; waste management; and biodiversity protection. The Concessionaire has a technical team specialized in the environmental area, whose goal, still in the short term, is to implement the Environmental Management System (SGA), besides carrying out 100% of the environmental monitoring. The team is also working to obtain the Airport Carbon Accreditation Program (ACA) Level 1 Mapping Certification from ACI, with an audit scheduled for the airports in early 2023.

“Since taking control of operations, we have made every effort to ensure that airports in a region as unique as the Amazon operate safely and provide passengers with unique travel experiences. Our environmental policy includes ambitious goals and we have made a great effort in this regard. For us, winning this certification will be a guarantee that we are on the right path to contribute to the sustainable development of the Amazon,” said Karen Strougo, CEO of Concessionária Aeroportos da Amazônia.

In Brazil, VINCI Airports is achieving important results at Salvador Bahia Airport, which has already reduced its carbon footprint by about 30% and was named for three consecutive years by the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac) as the most sustainable airport in the world, in addition to obtaining ACA (Airport Carbon Accreditation) level 3 – Optimisation certification. The airport is the first in the country to have a zero landfill and zero effluent policy, and to have a solar plant capable of providing about 30% of the energy used by the airport.

“It is of utmost importance that the Amazon Airports Concessionaire join ACI-LAC, due to the alignment of VINCI Airports’ purposes with those of our association and the relevance of the work that the operator is already developing for the benefit of sustainability worldwide. The implementation of best practices in sustainability at airports in the Amazon region will bring countless benefits to passengers, the community, the country and the world,” added Rafael Echevarne, CEO of ACI-LAC.