Sustainability is a major topic in aviation. Groningen Airport Eelde wants to contribute substantially. In 2008 we took the initiative to set up a project with colleague airports around the North Sea in order to work pro-actively on sustainability. Each of the airports will set up specific sustainability project, whereby the airports will share experiences and findings with each other. The working title of this project is 'Green Sustainable Airports' and it will be submitted for a European subsidy. Go to www.greenairports.eu for the latest information on this project.
Apart from these projects we are working on the implementation of several proprietary projects that can be realise swiftly. Groningen Airport Eelde has the ambition – to be achieved in collaboration with knowledge institutes and businesses in the north of the Netherlands – to become a frontrunner in sustainability among Dutch regional airports.
The following are the sustainability projects Groningen Airport Eelde is currently involved in:
Sustainable landing: gliding flights
Groningen Airport Eelde is collaborating with Netherlands Air Traffic Control to introduce gliding flights towards Eelde airport. This method is realised by approaching with reduced engine power; the airplane glides towards the runway, as it were. This landing method results in more fuel efficiency, a reduction of the CO2 footprint and a reduction of noise pollution for the direct environment of the airport.
On Friday 17 February 2012, Groningen Airport Eelde welcomed its first Continuous Descent Approach (CDA) which was performed bij a plane owned by transavia.com. Click here to go to the news article.
Benefits
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport already has positive experiences with this approach method. The gliding flights, also known as Continuous Descent Approaches, take place especially during the nightly hours because of their lower noise levels. This environmentally friendly approach method requires a different method of air traffic control. The approaching airplane must ascend first while the approach route covers a greater distance. Due to the fact that an approaching airplane requires maximum quality and space, fewer planes can land per hour at an airport. When it is very busy during daytime hours, such gliding approaches are not yet possible.
Special equipment
For the gliding approaches, the airplanes need to have been fitted with special navigation equipment. To start with, such gliding approaches will be primarily used by larger aircraft. Smaller airplanes do not have the capacity yet to use this equipment. The new procedures will be tested first in flight simulators over the coming months. The next step is that they have to be approved by the Ministry of Traffic and Public Works.
In addition to the introduction of – environmentally friendly – gliding approaches, the airport is also looking into the possibility of achieving more fuel effectiveness by asking incoming airplanes to taxi to the platform using only one engine. This will result in fuel consumption that is reduced by several dozens of kilos of fuel per flight.
Sustainable energy
Another project the airport is working on is the regeneration of energy from the soil in order to use it to heat the platform. This will result in a reduction of the amount of rock salt needed in winter to keep the runway free of ice.
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