Climate protection

Our goal: carbon-neutrality by 2030

Munich Airport is responding to the rapidly increasing demands for climate protection at both the national and international level with its committed climate protection strategy. In 2016, Munich Airport set itself an ambitious goal: to achieve carbon-neutral operation of the airport starting in 2030. That means: We are going to reduce our attributable co2 emission by 60% and compensate the remaining 40%. To achieve that, Munich Airport plans investments of about 150 million euros between now and 2030 – even if these expenditures cannot be funded always through savings.

Any climate protection measures must ensure that the system for recording the various emissions is both reliable and lends itself to international comparisons. The so-called carbon footprint attributed to an airport, namely the breakdown of all greenhouse gas emissions.

In order to reduce its carbon emissions continously, Munich Airport assumes responsibility for climate protection in many different projects and measures. For its commitment to climate protection, Munich Airport has been awarded several times. In addition, Munich Airport is invovled in several partner projects to promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Beyond that, Munich Airport has also committed to another ambitious climate action goal as part of the «Net Zero Carbon Initiative»: the reduction of CO2 emissions that can be influenced by the airport itself to net zero by 2050 at the latest. The idea is to keep emissions from arising in the first place through actions such as switching to renewable energy sources.

Reducing Munich Airport's CO2 emissions
Munich Airport's carbon footprint
Through efficiency improvements and technological innovations, Munich Airport will reduce its carbon emissions by 60 percent.

Working for climate protection

Munich Airport operates a total of 131 cars and vans and 294 handling and special vehicles with electric drives. By 2030, electric vehicles should comprise the lion’s share of the vehicle fleet. Right now, the proportion is a bit over 30 percent. The six-figure, environmentally friendly investment is supported by subsidies from the German Federal Ministry of Transport. Compared to 2019, it proved possible to reduce the local emission of CO2 by around 200 tonnes. With an eye to advances in technology, the airport assumes that improvements in battery technology, green hydrogen, synthetic fuels, and other alternative drive concepts will further diversify the vehicle mix between now and 2030.
The external lighting in the public areas of the airport will be fully switched to LED technology by 2022. Beyond that, lighting management software controls and monitors the apron lighting and exterior lighting. This will give rise to further opportunities to keep energy consumption at a consistently low level. The lighting of the P71 and P73 parking areas is one example. Using LEDs and control software together has reduced the energy needed each night by as much as 86 percent compared to the status before the overhaul. The lights are kept at a minimum brightness level of 3 lux and only increased to the desired brightness when motion is detected.
With its block heat and power plant, the airport generates over half of its energy requirements using environ - mentally friendly natural gas. It therefore covers almost all of its heating and cooling requirements without having to use any additional energy, relying solely on the waste heat from its power production. Six large engines with a total electrical output of 24 megawatts now generate 120 million kilowatt hours of electricity plus 140 million kilowatt hours of heat, saving 40,000 tonnes of CO 2 a year if the two forms of energy were to be produced separately. This huge saving is equivalent to the amount of energy consumed by a small city with 40,000 residents.