British Airways has outlined plans to overhaul its ground support equipment at Heathrow Airport, as part of its commitment to reduce emissions.
The investment will see the airline replace vans, cars, cargo transporters and passenger stairs with electric alternatives when they become available.
BA said more than 90 per cent of its vehicles and ground equipment at Heathrow are electric equipment with zero emissions when used or driven (hybrid) or run on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel.
The airline views the use of HVO as an interim measure while it transitions to hybrid or zero-emission equipment, and is investing in the following:
- The replacement of all diesel engines on passenger aircraft with electric alternatives, with the aim of reducing CO2 emissions by more than 370 tons per year
- The progressive elimination of its fleet of 20 diesel-powered loading and unloading vehicles, replacing them with hybrid electric models
- The introduction of 135 new electric baggage tugs (representing 40 of the tug fleet), with improved batteries and charging technology.
- Phasing out the airline's fleet of 38 diesel passenger buses over the next two years, with 23 expected to be fully electric and the remaining 15 to run on HVO fuel.
The upgrades are part of BA's £7bn transformation programme, details of which were revealed last week and which includes cabin and saloon upgrades.
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Commenting on the news, Carrie Harris, British Airways Chief Sustainability Officer, said:
“I am incredibly proud of this project, which has been driven by our Heathrow ground operations teams and encapsulates our BA Better World ethos of raising awareness of our strategy among all our colleagues and inspiring them to play a role in minimizing our environmental impact.” . where possible.
“Their energy, enthusiasm and innovative approach to bringing the project to life show what can be achieved and this investment demonstrates our continued commitment to making improvements across our business that will benefit both our customers and colleagues.”
Earlier this month, Gatwick Airport announced it had switched its fleet of diesel vehicles to run on HVO, in a move it claims will save 950 tonnes of carbon emissions a year.
Gatwick reduces emissions from Scope 1 vehicles by 90 percent by using biofuels
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