Climate Change

Given that airport business partners contribute nearly 50% of the emissions under the HKIA 2050 Net Zero Carbon Pledge, AAHK works closely with the airport community under an airport-wide approach to implement carbon reduction measures and drive greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction to achieve the target. The HKIA Carbon Reduction Programme is a platform for the airport community to measure, reduce and report carbon emissions and share best practices.

Since 2010, AAHK has collaborated with airport business partners and launched two short-term carbon intensity pledges to reduce HKIA's airport-wide carbon emissions.

• In 2010, AAHK and 40 business partners pledged to reduce airport-wide carbon intensity by 25% by 2015 from a 2008 baseline.
• In 2016, AAHK and 53 business partners made a second airport-wide carbon reduction pledge to further reduce carbon intensity by 10% by 2020, compared with 2015 levels.

Details of HKIA’s carbon emissions are available in AAHK's Sustainability Report 2023/24. During the second pledge, AAHK commenced preparations for a third pledge which was supported by a strategic study.

Moving to a Long-term Absolute Reduction Target

In April 2020, AAHK commenced an 18-month detailed study to set a new long-term absolute carbon reduction target. In 2021/22, the study concluded with a recommended target that aligned with the IPCC 1.5°C scenario, the HKSAR Government's 2050 carbon neutrality target and the Airports Council International (ACI) Long Term Carbon Goal of Net Zero Carbon by 2050. In line with previous pledges, AAHK aspired to continue working beyond its areas of control and following signficant consultation with the airport community was once again able to launched an airport-wide commitment in November 2021:  

• AAHK and its key aviation-related business partners commit to achieve Net Zero Carbon by 2050, with a midpoint target of 55% absolute emissions reduction by 2035 from a 2018 baseline.

With buy-in from (now) 29 key aviation related business partners from key sectors, the Pledge covers emissions from airlines (excluding aircraft emissions), aircraft maintenance, aviation fuel suppliers, cargo handling, catering, GSE maintenance, government departments, ramp handling, fuel operators and more.

Business Partners Engagement

To achieve the proposed midpoint target, AAHK has developed the Carbon Management Action Plan, the HKIA Decarbonisation Roadmap and established the HKIA Business Partners Carbon Support Programme which includes four key pillars as follows:

• Finance – a dedicated Greenovation Fund to help pilot new technologies and accelerate decarbonisation;
• Governance – a structure comprised of key stakeholders across the airport to tighten partnership and accelerate decision making;
• Technology and innovation – an airport-wide approach to coordinate and streamline efforts to identify, evaluate and pilot new technologies; and
• Capacity building – an airport-wide tailored capacity building programme to develop the necessary skills and awareness required across the airport community to achieve the target.

In 2024, AAHK launched a revamped Carbon Management System, which is an online reporting platform with enhanced analytic functions to manage the emissions by AAHK and the business partners. Participating business partners can access the system at no cost, enabling them to calculate and analyse their carbon performance on a single platform.

AAHK continues to upgrade our facilities with low carbon, energy efficient technology. Inside the terminals, cutting-edge building analytics are helping us to identify opportunities to deploy new energy-efficient initiatives. Within Terminal 1 (T1), we have been working on our innovative ‘SHADOW’ technology:

T1 is a standalone building which does not have any shading from nearby structures. The building’s extensive glazing creates substantial solar heat gain during the daytime, resulting in cooling challenges. To address this issue, the Solar Heat-gain Auto Decision On Wind-flow (SHADOW) system for air handling units (AHUs) has been adopted. This predictive control system adopts a Solar Prediction Dashboard to collect and analyse real-time weather data from the Hong Kong Observatory. By combining the historical weather data and real-time operational data from the Mechanical Building Management System (MBMS), the SHADOW system can accurately predict the cooling load required for T1.

The system provides recommendations for the space temperature setpoint of AHUs facing west, allowing an agile and efficient response to changes in weather conditions. This proactive approach minimises overcooling, reduces energy wastage, and optimises air volume and temperature throughout T1 around-the-clock.