Outcomes
- 85% reduction in Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 2030 — exceeding initial targets
- 90% reduction in fleet emissions achieved following strategy deployment
- 100+ sustainability initiatives evaluated and prioritised
- Renewable energy plan established covering 50% of electricity needs by 2030
- Geothermal heating, energy-efficient utility systems, and advanced fleet transition strategies embedded
Background
The airport had set ambitious targets but had no execution strategy, no benchmarking against UK or European peers, and significant uncertainty among decision-makers about how to transition operations while continuing to deliver commercially. Over 100 potential sustainability initiatives existed with no framework to prioritise them by financial ROI, carbon impact, or operational feasibility.
Curzon Approach
Curzon delivered across four areas: Strategic Benchmarking — a comparative analysis of sustainability performance against peer UK and European airports established a baseline and identified gaps. Initiative Prioritisation — all 100+ initiatives were evaluated and prioritised using robust business cases detailing financial ROI, carbon savings, and operational implications. Sustainability Roadmap — a phased strategy was designed to meet 2030 and 2040 goals, with milestones aligned to sustainability targets and flexibility to incorporate emerging technologies (including hydrogen solutions post-2025). Implementation Plan — detailed plans were developed for all initiatives, covering timelines, dependencies, and required investments, underpinned by a unified governance framework to ensure stakeholder alignment and accountability. A lifecycle-based fleet transition strategy incorporating drop-in bio-fuel was implemented to enable phased vehicle replacement and immediate emissions reductions.
