FedEx, ASL Airlines Belgium, CAL Cargo Airlines, and Challenge Airlines have signed up to an environmental strategy at Liege Airport in Belgium, Europe’s sixth largest cargo hub.

As part of its environmental strategy, Liege Airport is committed to a Collaborative Environmental Management (CEM) partnership. The new agreement with the freighter airlines aims to reducethe environmental impact of operations effectively and sustainably.

This concept, initiated by Eurocontrol, with the support of ACI Europe, allows those involved in an airport’s operations to work together to find collaborative environmental solutions.

“Stakeholders have been meeting quarterly since September 2020 to come up with joint solutions to environmental challenges in and around the airport,” said Frédéric Jacquet, acting CEO of Liege Airport.

“This collaboration will allow us to take a broader range of measures to limit the impact on the environment. As a Health Airport, we take our environmental responsibilities very seriously, and this is why integrating the environmental dimension is a key element in our development strategy.”

The main objectives of this working agreement are to: develop a common environmental strategy and joint action plans to minimise environmental impacts (noise, local air quality, and greenhouse-gas emissions); support the airport’s ISO 14001:2015 certification and its participation in the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme.

“These changes are essential for the future of our airports, which will no longer be able, tomorrow, to continue to develop in the same way as yesterday”, explained Minister of Walloon Airports, Jean-Luc Crucke.

“Minimizing impacts while maximizing performance is a wonderful challenge! Wallonia, with its airports, must continue to develop innovative projects in order to meet everyone’s legitimate expectations, which are more respectful of the environment and the quality of life”.

This initiative is fully in line with Liege Airport’s environmental policy, in particular its approach to reducing noise pollution and its strategy for cutting CO2 emissions.