„Ready for Green“: 1,000 CO²-neutral handling operations at Berlin Brandenburg Airport

In February 2021, the starting signal was given for the "Ready for Green" sustainability initiative at Berlin-Brandenburg Airport. The goal of WISAG Aviation is to significantly reduce emissions from aircraft handling operations by switching to electric apron equipment. The company is now taking stock: as of July 19, it had recorded more than 1,000 CO²-neutral handling operations at the capital's airport for the year 2023. The proportion of electrically powered apron vehicles has now been increased to 55 percent. This has saved an average of 33 kilograms of CO² per handling operation, which equates to a total of just under 33 metric tons in 2023.

So far, more than 1,000 CO²-neutral turnarounds have been achieved at Berlin-Brandenburg Airport in 2023. A handling process is considered CO²-neutral if all vehicles and equipment required for the "turnaround" produce no emissions. This includes baggage tugs and conveyors, passenger stairs, push-back vehicles and ground power units. This means that ground handling service provider WISAG Aviation, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, is once again playing a pioneering role.

"Sustainability is a top priority for us at WISAG Aviation, but also across the Group. Because in addition to the pure reduction in emissions, our employees also benefit from the use of electric apron equipment, as it is much quieter and produces almost no pollutants. At BER, we now have 55 percent of them in use. We would like to thank our airline partners, especially Norwegian, and the airport, with whom we were able to reach this milestone. I am very much looking forward to our next steps together," emphasizes Carmen Ruck, COO of WISAG Aviation.

The Berlin-Brandenburg site is predestined for such a project, as its comparatively new construction means that it has a better infrastructure than other locations and a relatively large number of charging points.

Thomas Hoff Andersson, Managing Director Operations at Flughafen Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH: "Our long-term goal is to operate BER Airport in a CO²-neutral manner. That is why we welcome the "Ready for Green" initiative of WISAG, which has already been reducing local CO² emissions on the apron for years with its electrical equipment. This contributes to clean, quiet and environmentally friendly aircraft handling and thus also to future-oriented airport operations."

In addition to the infrastructure, ambitious airline partners who support innovative developments are also required. The "Ready for Green" project was launched in 2021 with the AirFrance-KLM Group and the Scandinavian airline Norwegian. Together, this enabled an average CO² saving of 33 kilograms per check-in.

Peter Berg, Area Manager Norwegian: "As Norwegian, our goal is to make sustainable and affordable flying possible for everyone. That is why we have committed to reduce our CO² emissions by 45 percent by 2030. Working with partners who share these goals is critical for Norwegian. We are impressed by WISAG Aviation's achievements in this area and are pleased to be part of their CO²-free handling operations."

In addition to Berlin-Brandenburg Airport, the "Ready for Green" sustainability initiative is also being implemented at the Frankfurt an Main, Cologne/Bonn and Düsseldorf sites. "Ready for Green" is an important component of the Group-wide WISAG sustainability strategy, which includes achieving CO² neutrality for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions in 2024. The family-run multi-service company will offset emissions that cannot be avoided or reduced by then through certified climate protection projects.

On August 31, 2023, WISAG Aviation, in cooperation with Berlin-Brandenburg Airport, invites you to a second edition of the "E-Day" from 2021 under the motto "Sustainable Ground Handling". The event is aimed at the media and airline partners.

About WISAG Aviation Service Holding GmbH - Specialist for airport services

WISAG Aviation Service Holding SE is the largest private full-service partner for airport services in Germany with headquarters in Frankfurt. Its portfolio includes Airport Service, Ground Service, Passage Service, Cargo Service and Airport Personal Service. For leading airlines and airports, the company serves 6.2 million passengers annually with around 53 thousand take-offs and handles 65 thousand tons of freight. WISAG Aviation Service Holding stands in particular for flexibility, high technical competence and constant innovation leadership. The entire WISAG Group has almost 50,000 employees at more than 250 locations in Germany and abroad.
 

For further information about the growth industries, economic development, business and technology support for companies, investors and scientific institutions in the Airport Region Berlin Brandenburg please contact:

Sandra Koletzki ​​​​​​ | sandra.koletzki(at)airport-region.de

(Source: WISAG Aviation Service Holding SE, 07|21|2023 | "WISAG Aviation reaches milestone: 1,000 CO²-neutral handling operations at BER")