Press Releases & News

Vienna Airport Presents New Sustainability Report
 
From plan to action – Vienna Airport presents initial important successes and ambitious future objectives for sustainable business development

• Energy efficiency: energy consumption per traffic unit reduced by 11% in the period 2012-2014, influenceable CO₂ emissions even cut by 20%
• Quality improvement: "Best Airport Staff Europe 2015" rating and “4-Star Airport“ award
• Diversity management: 52 nationalities represented among the 5,000 airport employees
• Community relations: Dialogue Forum recognized as exemplary throughout Europe celebrates its 10^th anniversary this year
• Ambitious future targets: energy efficiency measures already defined to reach plus 21%, CO₂ reduction of 30%

Sustainability is an important business objective for Flughafen Wien AG. The successful development of the airport in recent years shows that it is possible to operate in a much more economically productive manner while simultaneously enhancing customer satisfaction and service quality, improving energy consumption and environmental compatibility and pursuing positive social goals on behalf of its employees despite implementing restructuring and productivity enhancement measures. Examples include the “Papamonat” (early paternity leave), more flexible working hours, projects to promote a better compatibility of family and career, and the project “Ältere Arbeitnehmer” (older employees). The sustainability management system installed at Flughafen Wien AG is designed to ensure that the ambitious future targets are achieved.
 
The Sustainability Report of Flughafen Wien AG which was presented today shows that gratifying progress could be made in all key dimensions of sustainability. The main pre-requisites to achieve the ambitious goals by 2022 are a sustainability management system and the environmental management system certified in accordance with the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS).
 
The Vienna Airport site located in Schwechat is one of the biggest employers in the eastern part of the country, and is continuously the focus of public attention due to its economic importance and the environmental effects of its business operations. In order to fulfill our ecological, social and economic responsibility, we attach great importance to take a balanced approach in pursuing our corporate goals, and to be actively involved in shaping the sustainable development of the company as well as the region.
 
Not only the steady improvement in business results but also successes in the field of energy efficiency (2012-2014: -11% per traffic unit) and CO₂ emissions (2012-2014: -20% per traffic unit) demonstrate that Flughafen Wien AG is on the right track. This achievement is complemented by successes in improvement service quality for the benefit of our customers, which can be documented by the “Best Airport Staff Europe 2015” ranking and the “4-Star Airport” award granted to the airport.
 
The Dialogue Forum, which celebrates its 10^th anniversary this year, along with the Neighbourhood Advisory Board, the Forum 11 and the Environmental Fund is seen throughout Europe as a respected and exemplary success model for carrying out a dialogue with all affected stakeholders. This is also shown by the numerous measures taken to reduce noise pollution and the diverse range of environmental protection activities implemented in this context.
 
More than 100 measures carried out in the field of energy and environmental management
More than 100 different measures have been implemented in the field of energy and environmental management. These steps have resulted in a significant reduction of energy consumption, CO₂ emissions and an increased in energy efficiency. Another package of measures documented in the sustainability report is designed to ensure that the highly ambitious targets are actually achieved in the coming years.
 
Planning work for the construction of two new photovoltaic facilities, each with a power generating capacity of 300kW/peak, is in full swing. They are scheduled to be installed in the first half of 2016, and should produce some 1.4 million kW of electricity each year. It is planned to continually expand this program in subsequent years due to the availability of sufficient roof space.
 
One specific measure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is the purchase of 30 electric-powered catering trucks over the next few years to replace the current diesel-powered vehicles. This measure alone should reduce diesel consumption by 275,000 liters annually.
 
Within the context of Collaborative Decision Making (CDM), the cooperation with all system partners was considerably improved thanks to the airport’s own real-time information exchange system. This has led to the ongoing optimization of operations, especially the taxi and waiting times of the aircraft turbines, which in turn will reduce CO₂ emissions by 1,250 tonnes annually.
 
The next sustainability report will be published in three years. An annual update will appear on the company’s Website. The report has been certified by TÜV and was compiled in compliance with GRI/G 4 in accordance with the “Core” application level.  
 
Please address inquiries to the Press Office of Flughafen Wien AG
Peter Kleemann (+43-1-) 7007-23000
Clemens Schleinzer (+43-1-) 7007-22399
Stefanie Tomanek (+43-1-) 7007-26939 
p.kleemann@viennaairport.com
c.schleinzer@viennaairport.com
s.tomanek@viennaairport.com