Improvement of the CO₂ Balance of the Landside Accessibility of Brussels Airport Through Implementation of Electric Vehicles and General Policy Measures

Abstract

When thinking about aviation and climate, researchers tend to focus on airborne operations. This aspect is obviously important, but the landside accessibility of an airport also results in climate impacting emissions. This paper analyses the current emissions balance originating from the passenger and employee transport to and from Brussels Airport. The CO₂ emissions related to the different landside access modes are inventoried and in a second step suggestions are made towards potential improvements of the situation. The measures suggested in this paper consist of a transition towards hybrid and battery electric vehicles, a modal shift away from internal combustion engine vehicles and some specific political interventions. When combined, it is calculated that the suggested measures can save more than 30 % percent of the CO₂ emissions originating from the landside mobility of Brussels airport.