Manama: Bahrain Airport Company (BAC) Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Yousif Al Binfalah accepted two prestigious sustainability awards on behalf of Bahrain International Airport (BIA) at the 18th Airports Council International (ACI) Asia-Pacific Regional Assembly, Conference & Exhibition in Japan, which was held for the first time in three years following the pandemic. BIA was honored with the Green Airports Recognition 2023 Silver Award, for airports serving 8 to 15 million passengers annually, and a certificate marking its upgrade to Level 4 ‘Transformation’ of the ACI Airport Carbon Accreditation program.The Green Airports Recognition initiative promotes environmental best practices and acknowledges ACI Asia-Pacific airport members with outstanding accomplishments in their environmental projects. Each year, a different environmental aspect is chosen as the theme. This year’s was ‘elimination of single-use plastic’.Mr. Al Binfalah said: “We are pleased to be recognized for our efforts to create a cleaner and more sustainable future for Bahrain and the rest of the world. In line with our commitment to sustainability, BAC initiated a Plastic Waste Management Project in 2020, in coordination with airport stakeholders, to monitor and divert plastic waste from landfills. The project has seen 3,400 kg of materials diverted from landfills annually and the recycling of 137,600 kg of materials each year. Moreover, we have established a centralized dashboard to monitor plastic waste streams at BIA. We are currently working on further improvements, including substituting single-use plastics with re-usable items, and encouraging recycling within stakeholders’ operations.”Commenting on the ACI Carbon Accreditation achievement, Mr. Al Binfalah added: “We are pleased to accept this certificate, which was awarded in September 2022. This achievement marks another important step in our journey to become a carbon-neutral airport. It also reflects the dedication of the BAC Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) team and the valued support of our airport partners. Working together, we remain committed to further reducing BIA’s carbon footprint. Achieving the global air transport sector’s goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 requires careful coordination among the entire industry, including airports. BAC is proud to support this global initiative and raise awareness about the importance of protecting the environment.”To further support the airport’s sustainability efforts, the BIA Environment Committee, convenes monthly to discuss key environmental issues, including carbon management, waste management, energy and water management, green procurement, air quality, noise, climate change adaptation, and resilience.BIA’s sustainability goals are in line with the objectives of the National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP). Set by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Bahrain, the NEEAP aims to conserve resources and reflects the Kingdom’s efforts to deliver the sustainable energy transition outlined in its Economic Vision 2030. One of its main goals is to reduce Bahrain’s energy consumption by 6 percent by 2025. BIA is the largest green building in Bahrain and will play a vital role in achieving this objective.
