Airports & Aviation Decarbonization
Supporting airport operators, aviation authorities, and ground ecosystem partners to measure, reduce, and manage their carbon footprint across every level of the ACI Airport Carbon Accreditation program.
Airports are at the center of one of the most difficult decarbonization challenges in the global economy. As critical infrastructure for international trade and travel, they sit at the intersection of massive energy consumption, complex multi-stakeholder ecosystems, and aviation’s expanding climate scrutiny.
Aviation accounts for approximately 2.5% of global CO₂ emissions, but when non-CO₂ warming effects are included, its total climate impact is estimated at roughly 3.5% of effective radiative forcing. For airports specifically, aircraft operations including landing and take-off cycles, engine testing, and auxiliary power units account for the vast majority of site-level emissions, with ground operations from tenants, ground handlers, fuel suppliers, and retail partners contributing much of the remainder.
Airports also face a governance challenge unlike most sectors: airport operators directly control only a fraction of their total footprint. The rest sits with dozens of business partners operating within the perimeter. Getting those partners to measure, commit, and reduce is a coordination problem as much as a technical one.
Regulatory and accreditation pressure is accelerating. The Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) program, operated by Airports Council International (ACI), has become the industry benchmark for credible airport-level climate commitments. Moving from ACA Level 1 to Level 5 requires progressively more sophisticated inventory approaches, stakeholder engagement, science-aligned target setting, and transformation planning. ACA Level 4, in particular, raises the bar significantly: airports must now define a Paris-aligned target pathway, demonstrate emissions reductions across the full airport ecosystem, and build enduring partnerships with their business partners to deliver on those targets.
This is where RESET Carbon bridges the gap between climate ambition and operational reality, delivering data-driven roadmaps, bespoke tracking tools, and ecosystem engagement strategies tailored to the unique challenges of airport operators across Asia Pacific and beyond.
WHO WE SERVE
Airport Operators & Authorities
Ground Ecosystem Partners
Civil Aviation Authorities & Industry Bodies
We work with airport management teams responsible for driving carbon performance at site level, including corporate sustainability, technical services, airfield operations, and capital works teams, as well as ground ecosystem partners such as airlines, ground handlers, fuel service providers, MRO operators, and retail tenants in building their own ACA-aligned emissions baselines and reduction trajectories. We also partner with national aviation authorities and regional airport associations to develop frameworks, capacity building programs, and sector-wide decarbonization guidance.
Our Solutions for Decarbonizing Airports
From ACA maturity assessments to science-aligned roadmaps and business partner engagement programs, RESET Carbon supports airport stakeholders through every step of their decarbonization journey.
A structured diagnostic to assess current ACA status and identify the most efficient pathway to the next accreditation level:
- Score current inventory and governance practices against ACA Level requirements
- Evaluate Scope 3 data availability for hard-to-quantify categories including LTO cycles, APU emissions, engine testing, and tenant activities
- Identify corrective actions and achievement steps for the next ACA level
- Deliver a prioritized roadmap with effort-to-impact assessment for each gap
Build a robust, verifiable emissions baseline that meets ACA accreditation standards and sets the foundation for credible target-setting:
- Develop tailored data collection templates with airport-specific emission factors for stationary sources, mobile equipment, and refrigerant systems
- Calculate and structure emissions in line with ACA Level 1 and 2 requirements
- Prepare inventory documentation for third-party verification
Quantify airport-specific Scope 3 sources using methodologies designed to meet ACA Level 3 requirements and beyond:
- Build tailored calculation templates for each ACA-recognized Scope 3 source: ground handling, LTO emissions, APU operations, full-flight information, and tenant activities
- Develop data quality tiers and gap-filling methodologies for sources where primary data is limited
- Engage business partners on data collection and reporting protocols
Translate high-level climate commitments into technically credible, operationally feasible reduction pathways:
- Develop dynamic carbon reduction models incorporating business growth projections, grid decarbonization trajectories, and technology adoption scenarios
- Set science-aligned targets consistent with Paris Agreement 1.5°C pathways
- Engage internal departments (technical services, airfield, capital works) to test feasibility and build buy-in
- Produce an actionable Carbon Management Plan with initiative-level tracking
Design and execute structured engagement programs that move business partners from awareness to committed action:
- Map business partner emissions contributions and develop tailored outreach strategies
- Build bespoke Target Trajectory Tools that enable each partner to model their own reduction pathway and submit commitments to the airport operator
- Facilitate engagement with airlines, ground handlers, fuel suppliers, and MRO operators across diverse operational and cultural contexts
- Support formal commitment processes and manage the ongoing monitoring of partner progress
Develop airport-specific renewable energy strategies that address the realities of grid access, onsite constraints, and regional market conditions:
- Review and map RE procurement options across power purchase agreements, EACs/RECs, and onsite generation
- Assess onsite solar feasibility with engineering support
- Provide guidance on renewable diesel adoption and independent market assessments
Provide end-to-end technical support through the ACA verification and submission process:
- Compile all required documentation and data packages for each ACA level submission
- Liaise with ACI-approved verifiers to ensure audit readiness
- Draw on our experience as an LRQA subsidiary to build tools and methodologies with an auditor’s mindset
Equip airport management and operational teams with the knowledge needed to drive and sustain their decarbonization programs:
- Deliver tailored training sessions for senior leadership, sustainability teams, and operational departments
- Provide targeted workshops on carbon accounting, ACA requirements, renewable energy options, and business partner engagement
Ready to Close the Gap
Between Climate Ambition
and Action?
Your Airports & Aviation Sector Experts
Our airports and aviation team combines deep technical expertise in carbon accounting, engineering, and ACA accreditation with hands-on experience working across Asia’s most complex airport ecosystems. Whether you are beginning your ACA journey or pushing toward net-zero transformation, you will work directly with specialists who have navigated these challenges before.
OUR ECOSYSTEM & PARTNERS
Featured Project: Hong Kong International Airport
HKIA set a net-zero carbon target for 2050 with an interim goal of 55% absolute emissions reduction by 2035 from a 2018 baseline. The Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) engaged RESET Carbon to support the development of a science-aligned decarbonization roadmap, resolve complex Scope 3 measurement challenges, and secure emissions reduction commitments from across its business partner ecosystem.
RESET Carbon delivered a dynamic carbon reduction model built in close collaboration with AAHK’s technical services, airfield, and capital works teams. The model incorporated ATM and passenger growth projections, grid decarbonization scenarios, electric ground support equipment transition timelines, onsite solar plans, and low-GWP refrigerant replacement schedules.
To address the business partner challenge, RESET Carbon developed a bespoke Target Trajectory Tool enabling each of AAHK’s 29+ aviation-related partners to model their own emissions baseline, growth projections, and reduction initiatives, and to submit a formal commitment aligned with the airport’s overall target. This translated the challenge of “asking for commitment” into “providing the means to commit.”
HKIA achieved ACA Level 4 accreditation in 2023, one of the first airports in Asia to do so.
Read more about Carbon Management Excellence for Hong Kong International Airport.
Why RESET Carbon for Airports
Proven track record with leading Asian airports
RESET Carbon has supported Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) for over a decade, helping the Airport Authority Hong Kong navigate one of the most ambitious airport decarbonization programs in the Asia Pacific region. Our work spans ACA accreditation support, science-aligned roadmap development, Scope 3 methodology design, and the delivery of a bespoke Target Trajectory Tool that secured formal reduction commitments from more than 29 aviation-related business partners.
Deep expertise in airport-specific Scope 3
Airport Scope 3 accounting is technically complex. LTO cycles, APU emissions, engine testing, and business partner operations each require purpose-built methodologies. Our team has developed and refined these approaches through real-world application, and we know exactly what ACI-approved verifiers look for.
Engineering-led, not just advisory
We combine sustainability consulting with in-house engineering capability. That means our roadmaps are grounded in operational feasibility, our tools are built for real-world use by technical teams, and our recommendations can withstand scrutiny from both internal stakeholders and external auditors.
ACI World Business Partner
As an ACI World Business Partner, RESET Carbon stays ahead of program developments, exchanges with leading airports globally, and brings current market intelligence into every client engagement.
Asia-rooted, globally relevant
Airport decarbonization in Asia presents specific challenges: diverse regulatory environments, business partners with different operational contexts, limited RE market maturity in some jurisdictions, and a cultural preference for data-backed commitments over high-level pledges. Our team is built for this context.
LATEST NEWS & INSIGHTS
Building Taiwan Airports’ Net-Zero Competitiveness: Chung-Hua Airport Council and RESET Carbon Launch ACA Collaboration Initiative
Leading the Aviation Industry to Net-Zero: RESET Partners with Hong Kong International Airport
What Makes Airport Decarbonization Succeed
The airports that make the most progress share a few common approaches:
- They prioritize technical feasibility and data-backed roadmaps over high-level pledges, building internal confidence and long-term credibility.
- They equip their business partners with practical tools that make it easier to commit, rather than simply asking for commitments.
- They treat their carbon target as a living process, using regular tracking mechanisms to adapt to evolving technologies and operational realities.
- They recognize that meaningful climate impact at an airport requires the whole ecosystem to move, not just the operator.
RESET Carbon’s role is to make all of this achievable.
Talk to Us About Decarbonizing Your Airport
Our team is here to help you move from ACA commitment to measurable impact. Contact us to discuss how we can support your airport’s net-zero journey.
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