Puerto Rico’s Muñoz Marín Airport earns environmental accreditation
Aerostar Puerto Rico has reached a new milestone in its efforts to turn Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) into a green space: the Airports Council International (ACI) has granted the facility an environmental accreditation for its initiatives focused on reducing carbon emissions through energy efficiency.
The ACI comprises over 270 airports in Latin America and the Caribbean. Notably, only 40 of the 394 airports in the United States participate in the accreditation program.
The carbon footprint is an environmental indicator that reflects the total greenhouse gas emissions produced by an activity, in this case, airport operations. Supported by a broad scientific consensus and numerous studies on climate change, widely regarded as a primary contributor to global warming.
With four accreditation levels covering the stages of carbon management — measurement, reduction, optimization, and neutrality — the ACA program is independently administered and institutionally supported by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the U.N. Environment Program, the International Civil Aviation Organization, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the European Commission.
The accreditation program is the industry standard for certifying airport management of carbon emissions and consists of four levels. The first is measuring the carbon footprint. Muñoz Marín Airport met Level 1 requirements and received the first accreditation granted under the program.
Aerostar Puerto Rico operates and manages the Muñoz Marín Airport in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the island’s largest, providing various aviation-related services, including air traffic control, ground handling, maintenance and cargo operations.
In a statement, the airport operator’s president, Jorge Hernández, expressed his satisfaction with the distinction, which recognizes the company’s efforts in creating a plan with emission-reduction measures guided by the ACI’s Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) program.
“We are taking steps to become a green airport. In that sense, our affiliation with ACI and its Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) program has been very helpful. We are pleased to have completed the emissions inventory and the accreditation of the first stage. With this knowledge as a foundation, we will be able to implement a strategy to reduce emissions,” Hernández said.
“Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport is committed to advancing in the program and reaching the next levels in the coming years,” added Hernández.
ACI member airports manage 95% of commercial air traffic in Latin America and the Caribbean, receiving more than 570 million passengers.
“We are pleased to welcome a new airport from the Latin America and Caribbean region to the ACA program. Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport joins the group of 71 airports in Latin America and the Caribbean that have certified their environmental efforts,” said ACI-LAC General Director Rafael Echevarne.
