Meanwhile in Adelaide… SA airports hit Australian net zero first
As net zero continues to ruffle political feathers in Canberra, Adelaide’s airports have landed a new milestone that only four other airports in the Asia-Pacific have achieved.
Adelaide and Parafield Airports are the first in Australia to be recognised for reaching the highest level of accreditation on the path to net zero by the global Airport Carbon Accreditation program.
The airports were now certified as Airport Carbon Accredited at ‘Level 5’, meaning they would maintain a net zero carbon balance on Scope 1 and 2 emissions, and would be actively addressing Scope 3 emissions sources.
Scope 1 emissions mean direct emissions from a company’s own sources, while Scope 2 emissions were indirect emissions for the generation of purchased energy that the company uses. Scope 3 emissions were indirect emissions occurring within a company’s value chain, from sources like purchased goods, employee commuting, business travel and more.
The two airports join just four others in the Asia-Pacific to have reached ‘Level 5’, with Adelaide Airport managing director Brenton Cox noting the two facilities had reinforced their credentials as the benchmark for environmentally friendly airports in Australia.
The news followed the Federal Liberal Party formally abandoning its net-zero target yesterday.
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The Coalition was expected to finalise its official climate policy in the coming days, with the Liberals committed to abandoning net zero by 2050 and other interim emissions-reduction goals if they win government.
Other airports in the region to have achieved the milestone included Christchurch International Airport in New Zealand and Bangalore International Airport, Delhi International Airport and GMR Hyderabad International Airport in India.
In total, there were 29 airports globally with Level 5 accreditation.
In December 2024, Adelaide Airport became the first major airport in Australia to reach carbon neutrality.
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“Our participation in this program is recognition of the importance of long-term sustainability to the aviation sector and the value of collaboration to achieve our industry goals,” Cox said.
“Achievement of Level 5 accreditation validates that we have transitioned from carbon management to decarbonisation, with credible evidence of emissions reduction and long-term planning.
“Our sustainability and decarbonisation efforts aim to create long-term value for our shareholders and our customers who represent the broader community.”
ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East director general Stefano Baronci said the accomplishment aligned with the industry’s “shared vision of achieving net zero goals by 2050”.
“Asia-Pacific is the second region in the world with the highest number of Level five accredited airports, six in total, with airports in India, Australia, and New Zealand joining this exclusive club,” Baronci said.
“We hope this milestone encourages other airports in the region to continue strengthening their environmental performance and contributing to a more sustainable aviation sector.”
Other South Australian companies were meanwhile backing in their commitments to 2050 net zero targets, including the likes of Argo Investments, Beach Energy and Flinders Port Holdings.
