Christchurch Airport moves towards all-electric fleet

Christchurch Airport is the first South Island business to sign up to a global initiative, EV100, transitioning its vehicle fleet to 100% electric.

Airport chief executive Malcolm Johns says the move will strengthen its efforts to become more sustainable and he’s challenging other businesses to make the same commitment.

“We are continually looking at our operations and challenging ourselves to become greener. Energy use is a key focus for us, we have cut the terminal’s energy use by 20% since 2013. With the transport sector the fastest- growing contributor to climate change, transitioning our vehicle fleet to electric is a sensible next step.”

The airport has eight electric vehicles, so its fleet is 40% electric now. It also hosts EV sharing scheme Yoogo for community use.

EV100 is an initiative of The Climate Group, an international not-for-profit organisation with the mission of accelerating climate action. EV100 members commit to becoming 100% electric by 2030.

The Climate Group chief executive Helen Clarkson congratulates Christchurch Airport.

“With 6.5 million people visiting the terminal every year, the airport has an opportunity to make electric vehicles a more familiar sight in New Zealand, while demonstrating to airports around the world how it’s done,” she says.

The airport is a member of the Sustainable Business Council and the Sustainable Business Network. It won the 2017 Ricoh Efficiency Champion Award for its efforts to conserve energy in the Sustainable Business Network Awards.

In March 2018, the airport also won silver recognition from the Airports Council International Asia-Pacific for an initiative it pioneered to solve the problem of single-use coffee cups contaminating its recycling stream.

Visit christchurchairport.co.nz for more information.