Changi Airport recognised as it moves towards being green
Changi Airport has accumulated a number of accolades over the years, most recently being named Asia's most connected international airport by industry consultancy OAG.
But behind the scenes, the airport has also been hard at work, increasing its environmentally-friendly credentials, undertaking more than 10 projects in 2016 and last year to improve its energy efficiency.
These efforts helped Changi achieve level three in the Airport Carbon Accreditation in May.
There are four levels of accreditation under the scheme, the first of which is for airports to measure their carbon footprint.
Level two requires that airports take steps to reduce their carbon output, while level three is for those that have brought other service providers on board.
In Changi's case, ground handling companies such as Sats, as well as its restaurants, are participating in green efforts.
The highest level is for airports that have become carbon neutral, referring to the reduction or offsetting of emissions to zero. This has been achieved by about 30 airports so far.
Among the efforts undertaken by Changi was the overhauling of air-conditioning chillers in Terminals 1 and 2 to be more energy efficient in 2016.
This helped save some 5.56 million kilowatt hours (kWh) - the amount of electricity used by more than 14,000 four-room flats in a month - reducing carbon emissions by 2,355 tonnes that year.
Last year, floodlights at the aircraft parking bays of Terminals 1, 2 and 4 were replaced with more energy-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) alternatives, saving 1.52 million kWh.
In place of the more polluting diesel tractors, 80 electric-powered baggage tractors - which can be charged at 26 charging points across the airport - were introduced last year with the opening of Terminal 4.
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