THE Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) and Airports Council International (ACI)—Asia-Pacific and Middle East have signed a memorandum of agreement to develop a sustainable plan focused on eliminating carbon emissions.
The agreement, signed at Mactan-Cebu International Airport’s Terminal 2 Gate 16, outlines a plan to eliminate carbon emissions from aircraft operations by 2050, making MCIA the first airport in the Philippine aviation industry to commit to such a goal.
Julius Neri Jr., MCIAA general manager and chief executive officer, and Stefano Baronci, director general of ACI—Asia-Pacific and Middle East, formalized the agreement.
“This is our commitment to the public. Commitment to help the world in general,” Neri said.
“The MCIAA will always be at the forefront of commitment to ensure that we have zero carbon emissions and that we will always promote sustainability,” he added.
The MCIAA received an award from ACI, becoming the first airport in the country to achieve Level 1—Mapping under the Airport Carbon Accreditation program.
The initiative aims to enhance MCIAA’s environmental performance and promote sustainability through a comprehensive approach to decarbonization.
Experts
As part of the plan, ACI will bring a team of experts to conduct a thorough analysis of necessary actions for decarbonization.
MCIAA has committed to allocating financial resources and time to implement measurement tools for its environmental efforts.
Athanasios Titonis, chief executive officer of Aboitiz GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corp., also said that one of their plans to achieve the goal for a carbon free airport is the use of solar energy.
Last Aug. 14, the airport started implementing measures to reduce its carbon footprint. These include the use of single-engine taxi operations to save fuel, and the operation of bridge-mounted equipment, which has lowered carbon dioxide emissions by over 90 percent as of October 2024, according to Samuel Elle, safety, quality, and environment head of GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corp.
MCIA serves as the main gateway for locals and tourists to Central Visayas. The airport is located in Lapu-Lapu City. / DPC