Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Azerbaijan achieves Level 3 in Airport Carbon Accreditation

octobre 27, 2025

Heydar Aliyev International Airport, the busiest airport in Azerbaijan, has achieved Level 3 in Airport Carbon Accreditation. Having joined the programme in 2024, the airport has made remarkable progress in just one year, advancing to Level 3 by integrating comprehensive carbon management practices across its operations and engaging key stakeholders in its decarbonisation journey.

This achievement reflects the airport’s strong commitment to reducing its environmental footprint and its long-term ambition of reaching net zero emissions by 2050. Significant progress has been made in enhancing energy efficiency, with over 4,000 conventional lamps replaced by energy-efficient alternatives and new lighting control systems installed, resulting in annual savings of approximately 1.14 GWh of electricity and a reduction of around 600 tonnes of CO₂ emissions. The airport has also strengthened the monitoring of its energy consumption and emissions, improving operational efficiency through data-based energy management.

Sustainability principles have been embedded across all areas of airport management, procurement, and daily operations, while a comprehensive waste segregation and recycling system has been introduced in both terminal and airside areas. Efforts to create a greener airport environment have also accelerated, with landscaped areas now encompassing more than 87,000 trees and 32,000 shrubs, including 510 new trees and 6,000 shrubs planted over the past year.

Equally important, the airport continues to promote environmental awareness through regular staff training and stakeholder engagement initiatives, fostering a culture of sustainability across the wider airport community.

Olivier Jankovec, Director General, ACI EUROPE said: “Congratulations to Heydar Aliyev International Airport on reaching Level 3 of Airport Carbon Accreditation, an impressive achievement just one year after joining the global carbon management programme for airports. As the busiest airport in Azerbaijan, it is leading the way on carbon management in its subregion and engaging airlines, ground handlers, and other service providers in its carbon reduction efforts. Hats off to the entire team for this achievement – I look forward to celebrating more milestones on their journey towards net zero.”

Teymur Hasanov, Director of Heydar Aliyev International Airport mentioned: “This achievement is not just a technical milestone but a strategic step toward building a more responsible and sustainable airport model. We see sustainability not merely as a reporting indicator, but as a guiding principle for our operations. Every operational decision we make is driven by energy efficiency and environmental responsibility.”