VINCI Airports’ Nantes Atlantique commissions new infrastructure to decarbonise ground operations

The following article was published by Future Travel Experience

Nantes Atlantique Airport has commissioned new electrified ground infrastructure, investing €15 million to reduce emissions from airside operations. The project supports VINCI Airports’ net-zero strategy and boosts efficiency.

Summary:

Nantes Atlantique Airport invests €15 million in electrified ground infrastructure to cut emissions from airside operations.
12 electrified aircraft stands and 100 charging points enable reduced APU use and lower Scope 3 emissions.
VINCI Airports advances net-zero ambitions, targeting zero emissions across EU and UK airports by 2030.

Nantes Atlantique Airport, part of the network of VINCI Airports (a Corporate Partner of the FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub), has commissioned new electrical infrastructure designed to significantly reduce emissions from ground operations, following 15 months of construction work and an investment of €15 million. The airport now features 12 electrified aircraft stands and 100 additional electric charging points for airside vehicles and ground support equipment, fully aligned with VINCI Airports’ environmental strategy.

The electrification of ground operations is an immediate lever for reducing the carbon footprint of airlines and ground handling companies, which account for an airport’s indirect emissions (Scope 3). Thanks to these new facilities, aircraft parked at contact stands can now be supplied with electricity and air conditioning without using auxiliary power units or thermal equipment.

“By electrifying aircraft stands and deploying charging stations for ground support equipment, we are helping to reduce emissions from airlines and ground handling companies,” said Guillaume Dubois, Chairman of Aéroports du Grand Ouest and CEO of Nantes Atlantique Airport. “This is fully in line with the strategy we are pursuing to reduce the environmental impact of airport activities. This commitment, led by VINCI Airports since 2016, is part of a comprehensive approach to reducing CO₂ emissions from our own airport operations while also addressing those generated by third parties.”

At the same time, the airport has deployed 100 electric charging points across the apron: 7.4 kW chargers for light vehicles, 120 kW chargers for buses, as well as sockets adapted for baggage tractors and refuelling vehicles. This modernisation significantly reduces the use of fossil fuels and can cut greenhouse gas emissions from ground operations by up to 50%.

This initiative is also part of VINCI Airports’ environmental strategy, which aims to achieve net zero emissions across its airports in the European Union and the United Kingdom by 2030.

“By electrifying its ground services, Nantes Atlantique Airport is positioning itself among Europe’s leading airports, firmly committed to the decarbonisation of the aviation sector,” said Richard Ferrer, Head of the Alternative Fuels Sector at the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). “With a grant of nearly €4.5 million, the European Union has supported this initiative, which represents a major step forward towards a sustainable, low-carbon airport model, both in the Pays de la Loire region and across Europe, directly contributing to European climate ambitions.”