Greener environment at John Glenn Columbus

John Glenn Columbus International airport is benefitting from a program that eliminates the need for fuel-powered equipment at its gates.

Thanks to a US$2.7m VALE grant from the Federal Aviation Administration, delivered late last year, the Columbus Regional Airport Authority has installed pre-conditioned air units at 11 airbridges, in addition to upgrading 13 existing ground power units. Whilst a number of gates had incorporated emissions reduction technology prior to the VALE program, currently all the gates are so equipped.

The change has meant the removal of heating and cooling generators on the ground that burned fuel to keep aircraft systems operational while the aircraft was parked. Work on the project commenced in November 2015 and was completed this month. In all, the new units should result in a total emissions reduction of some 207 tonnes of carbon monoxide over a period of 20 years.