Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST) – the second largest cargo hub in the Netherlands – has been awarded Airport Carbon Accreditation Level 3 (ACA L3).

It means the airport is now designated as an Upgrade to Level 3 – Optimisation in recognition of its carbon reduction activities.

The accreditation puts the airport in the top 10% of globally accredited cargo airports that have earned at least Level 3 accreditation – taking little more than a year to go from Level 2 to Level 3.

The ACA was launched in 2009 by the Airports Council International EUROPE (ACI EUROPE) as part of its commitment to reduce carbon emissions from aviation with the ultimate goal of making airports carbon neutral.

The programme requires the monitoring of an airport’s carbon footprint and the implementation of actions to reduce its footprint over the years.

An airport’s ACA is upgraded when it demonstrates methods whereby it consistently reduces emissions measured on a three-year term.

Since 2009, over 550 airports have been recognised and have earned one of the accreditation levels. These range from Level 1 – Mapping to Level 5 which shows an airport is maintaining its net-zero target.

Jonas van Stekelenburg, chief executive of MST, said: “The upgraded accreditation is a great achievement and an acknowledgment of the seriousness and dedication with which the team at MST takes toward our sustainability strategy.”

“We are particularly proud as we have made the top 10% of globally accredited cargo airports despite MST’s internal handling of cargo, which has an impact on emissions calculations, whereas other airports outsource this process.

“While this is an exciting development, we are looking forward to continuing our journey towards reaching our net-zero targets over the coming years.”

Founded in 1945, MST is located in the province of Limburg and is a key import station for flowers and the handling of dangerous goods.

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