A sustainable approach to airport design and operations: Case study of Munich airport

The aim of this research is to empirically examine the sustainable aspects of airport design and operations, in the context of Munich Airport, one of the world's major airports. The primary research question addressed by this work is: What aspects of airport design and operation in a major airport are critical to its sustainability and mitigating its contributions to climate change? An exploratory single site case study methodology was utilised and the research concentrated on Munich Airport, Germany's second busiest airport, located in Bavaria, in south east Germany. The primary business of the airport is commercial and general aviation services. Air cargo, catering and retail, and real estate are other important strategic market segments. Data was gathered from the Flughafen M nchen GmbH annual sustainability reports and company websites. Finally, the data was analysed using content analysis. All major aspects of airports infrastructure design and operations were explored, focussing on the environmental impacts. This included water usage and management, energy consumption, waste management, and other key aspects of pollution, including noise. In the case of Munich Airport, the most significant environmental impact factors identified were aircraft emissions and noise, waste, and water management. The significance of sustainable operations in the global aviation industry is, of course, relevant to airports. Since the commencement of operations in 1992, Munich Airport's strategic objectives have incorporated key sustainability focus areas. Indeed, the airport's strategy is essentially sustainability-driven. The airport has implemented systems and procedures to optimise its environmental footprint, and to ensure its compliance with all applicable statutory requirements.

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