Environment & Sustainability

Our Journey

We recognise that our business activities have environmental consequences and we continuously review our environmental performance to seek to minimise and mitigate those effects. As a responsible business, we aim for all actions across Belfast International Airport to contribute to sustainability and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  For more information please download our Environmental Policy below.

Environment Policy

Read more about our switch to HVO

Belfast International Airport reduces carbon emissions by 90%, swapping fuel in airport vehicles for Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO). The switch will save more than 290 tonnes of carbon emissions each year.

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Biodiversity

As a responsible business, Belfast International Airport is conscious of what consequences our actions may have on our native biodiversity. In 2024, BIA has committed to joining the Business in the Community Business and Biodiversity Charter which will act as a framework for BIA’s onsite biodiversity initiatives.  Behind the Park and Fly Car Park, land has been set aside for biodiversity. The Millennium Woodland is managed by the Turnaround Project which helps people who are serving sentences improve their futures through a transitional employment approach. So far in 2024, over 150 new trees have been planted on site including beech, rowan, and the airports namesake alder.

BIA has been designated as a conservation site for the native Irish honeybee in partnership with the Native Irish Honeybee Society (NIHBS). The native Irish honeybee was once widespread across all of Europe; however, populations have now declined greatly due to loss of biodiversity and habitats, climate change and global warming and the increased use of pesticides and herbicides. One of the most important ways to protect this species is through the adoption of conservation areas which provide habitats with a reduction in threats such as competition or disease. The NIHBS is a cross-border organisation that consists of members and representatives from all corners of the island of Ireland. For more information on native Irish honeybees and the NIHBS, check out www.nihbs.org.

In 2023 BIA joined the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan (AIPP) as a business supporter. By joining the AIPP, we want to ensure our site helps to sustain over 100 different types of bees and 180 hoverflies on the island of Ireland. These species provide important pollination services which fertilise much of our plants and flowers, safeguarding our ecosystems.

BFS gets Gold in the 2023 Northern Ireland Environmental Benchmarking Survey.

Belfast International Airport, powered by VINCI Airports, has achieved Platinum level in the 2024 Northern Ireland Environmental Benchmarking Survey.

The NI Environmental Benchmarking Survey is an annual event that benchmarks local organisations on the measures they take to improve their environmental impacts. In 2024, 121 organisations from a range of different sectors measured and reported their environmental impacts.

Belfast International Airport has been accelerating major environmental improvements, in line with VINCI Airports’ global commitment to achieve Net Zero Emission by 2050.

Belfast International Airport’s key targets to improve environmental performance include reducing scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50% by 2030, reducing water consumption to less than 10 litres per passenger by 2030 and diverting all waste from landfill by 2030. Other objectives include conserving and promoting biodiversity on site and gaining a better understanding of scope 3 emissions.

Initiatives launched in the past year that have promoted BIA to gold include the introduction of electric vehicles on site, trialling the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel as a direct drop-in replacement for diesel and improving water monitoring onsite.

Belfast International Airport first achieved Level 2 in the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) scheme in 2022 and retained this accreditation in 2023. BIA also received ISO14001 accreditation for the Environmental Management System (EMS) in early 2023.

Northern Ireland’s most sustainable organisations were revealed at an event in the Northern Ireland football stadium Windsor Park, organised by responsible business network NI Business in the Community.

The survey is used as an important comparison tool and a helpful way for organisations to identify areas where they can improve their environmental impacts, as well as be recognised for their efforts to become more environmentally sustainable.

To find out which organisations participated in the 2023 Survey and to see how they scored, visit https://www.bitcni.org.uk/programmes/ni-environmental-benchmarking-survey.

More Environment and Sustainability

Belfast International Airport has developed the below science-based targets as a response to the introduction of the Northern Ireland Climate Change Act 2022. Working towards these targets will allow us to minimise our impact on the environment whist sustainably growing for the future. Our key targets are outlined below:

  • Reduce greenhouse gases by 50% by 2030 and net zero by 2050
  • Water use down to 10L of water per passenger by 2030
  • Zero waste to landfill by 2030
  • Zero harmful pesticide use by 2025
  • Achieve ACA Level 3 and ISO 50001 in 2023

 

To achieve these targets, we have invested heavily in the below carbon reduction measures:

  • LED lighting across the terminal with car parks, runways and apron to follow
  • Trialling more environmentally friendly equipment including HVO and smart technologies
  • Exploring the feasibility of on-site solar production
  • Reviewing and improving our building management system (BMS)
  • Electrification of operations and ground handling vehicles

 

In addition to carbon reduction initiatives, resource sustainability initiatives at Belfast International Airport include:

  • Streamlining our waste processes on site
  • Introducing two water refill stations at gates 14 and 20
  • Mapping our water system and implementing new water meters
  • Designating our on-site woodland as a native Irish honeybee conservation site

Ambitions and Roadmap 

All our data has been externally validated by the ACA Carbon Accreditation Scheme from 2018 up to 2023. Contact Belfast International Airport at [email protected] for any queries or concerns regarding the environment.

Belfast International Airport, member of the VINCI Airports network since 2018, has entered the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) program by reaching the level 2 Reduction for its initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint. ACA is the only global, airport-specific program that certifies airports' efforts to manage and reduce its carbon emissions. This accreditation illustrates the efficiency of VINCI Airports’ environmental action plan in Belfast airport. Since joining VINCI Airports network, Belfast airport has achieved a -20 % decrease of its direct carbon emissions, with key actions including LED relamping of the airport terminal and improvement of the management of energy consumption. We are currently working on achieving ACA Level 3, which involves engaging with all stakeholders across our site.

In January 2023 Belfast International Airport received ISO 14001 certification for our Environmental Management System (EMS). This outlines the impact that the airport has on the environment, but is also aimed at improving the efficiency of our management systems thereby enhancing value to passengers and other relevant stakeholders. The certification, granted by the NQA, represents an important step towards environmental management. The airport has been working on several sustainability initiatives that has led to the achievement of the ISO 14001 accreditation including; the roll out of LED lighting throughout the terminal, the use of solar power to power all aspects of the airport and a commitment to reducing waste and water usage. Further initiatives are planned throughout 2023 including LED lighting across the airfield and the introduction of fully electric passenger buses. Alongside our 14001 certification, we are working on our ISO 50001 Energy Management System which will allow for better energy management across our site. This in turn will allow Belfast International Airport to further reduce our greenhouse gas emissions in line with our targets.

Belfast International Airport is committed to managing the noise from its operations and minimising its impact on communities living close to the airport. Belfast International Airport has prepared a Round Two Noise Action Plan in accordance with the European Union Environmental Noise Directive (Directive 2002/49/EC) also known as the ‘END’. The directive is implemented by The Environmental Noise Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006,

Belfast International Airport Sound Insulation Grant Scheme (SIGS). 

For residential properties that fall within the SIGS boundary, the scheme may be able to offer a grant towards secondary glazing, high performance double glazing or loft insulation. If your property qualifies for this scheme, it will be able to offer grants towards secondary glazing, high performance double glazing or loft insulation. For further information or to see if your property qualifies, please download the following documents:

If you have any queries or comments regarding noise from aircraft, please email [email protected].  Alternatively, you can download our noise monitoring form below.    

Please find Round 3 Noise Action Plan DRAFT here.