Sustainability

The presented methodology has two fundamental goals: first, to foster greener design practices among airport managers, planners, and designers, and second, to establish a dynamic dialogue between all airport stakeholders, while overcoming the shortcomings of traditional environmental impact assessments and thus ensuring capacity enhancement. The innovative aspects of the methodology are the combination of a flexible implementation strategy, the use of Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) with cost and utility functions, and a structured definition of environmental sustainability...

This study develops a new approach for the evaluation of greener airport systems. The proposed concepts demonstrate how to implement greener practices from the early stages of an airport infrastructure project in an economically rational and stakeholder-focused manner. Objectives of the proposed methodology are two-fold: (1) to promote greener design practices among airport planners, designers, and managers, and (2) to institute active communication among all airport stakeholders. The study contributes to the state of the knowledge in airport environmental management by proposing the...

In recent years the aviation industry has initiated new sustainability efforts as a response to society's greater needs for living in healthier and more sustainable environments. Significant attention has been directed toward aircraft and their contribution to greenhouse gas emission. As we look at the aviation system more holistically, especially in the U.S., however, we discover a lack of comprehensive research addressing sustainability evaluation standards in airports. Sustainability, in a system as complex as an airport, can encompass many different areas such as water conservation,...

Over 2500 airports worldwide provide critical infrastructure that supports 4 billion annual passengers. To meet changes in capacity and post-COVID-19 passenger processing, airport infrastructure such as terminal buildings, airfields, and ground service equipment require substantial upgrades. Aviation accounts for 2.5% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but that estimate excludes airport construction and operation. Metrics that assess an airport’s sustainability, in addition to environmental impacts that are sometimes unaccounted for (e.g. water consumption), are necessary for a more...