Queenstown Airport’s made a 65% reduction in absolute emissions since 2019 and has converted $100 million in bank lending facilities to
‘‘sustainability-linked loans’’ this year.
The airport’s first annual sustainability report and climate-related disclosures were released on Tuesday, as it works towards achieving net-zero emissions from airport operations by2028.
Chief executive Glen Sowry says the report delivers a comprehensive update on the airport’s sustainability initiatives, community partnerships and progress against targets set in the ‘sustainability strategy’.
Sowry says following an annual audit in August, the airport’s achieved Toitū net carbon-zero certification and a 65% reduction in absolute emissions compared with 2019, its baseline year.
On the sustainability-linked loans, airport sustainability and corporate affairs GM Sara Irvine says they’ve worked with banking partners to set ‘‘ambitious targets’’ to hold them to account as they implement the strategy.
Looking to the next four years, the airport aims include achieving ‘airport carbon accreditation’ and increasing the range of emissions it reports on, carrying out the second phase of the terminal’s heating and cooling project, replacing the park-and-ride shuttle with an electric shuttle and completing the transition to electric operations vehicles, and exploring options for renewable energy generation on site.
