LFV Stockholm-Arlanda will apply for a new environmental permit for the airport’s operations. The existing permit is difficult to understand and contains different conditions that sometime do not match each other. In addition, aviation emissions are in the process of being brought into the European Union Emission Trading Scheme and should thus not be part of the airport’s local permit conditions.
The task of applying for a new environmental permit is expected to take three years. During this period, Stockholm-Arlanda’s environmental work will intensify further, with a focus on things that LFV − the state enterprise that owns and operates the airport − can influence. These include the airport’s own energy use, partnering with airlines to reduce emissions − for example by means of “green flights” − as well as regional collaboration aimed at improving ground transport services.
“It is gratifying that representatives of the Stockholm region have singled out Stockholm-Arlanda as the most important transport hub in the Lake Mälaren Valley. We feel that we have strong support in our efforts together with other actors to improve public transport to and from the airport. Restricting Stockholm-Arlanda’s growth would worsen its range of non-stop routes, thereby worsening the competitiveness of Stockholm and Sweden,” says Jan Lindqvist, Head of Corporate Communication, LFV Stockholm-Arlanda.
In addition to a maximum number of take-offs and landings, Stockholm-Arlanda is the only airport in the world that also has a ceiling on carbon dioxide and other emissions. All air traffic and all ground traffic to and from the airport must fit below this ceiling. The ceiling is equivalent to emissions from 1990 operations, when the airport had 15 million passengers, compared to 18 million today.
When the current conditions were adopted by the Swedish government 15 years ago, it was thought that trains and other public transport systems would attract more passengers, but the infrastructure has not kept pace. Large portions of the growing Stockholm region lack good public transport to the airport. The Environmental Court recently rejected changing this emission ceiling.
“We don’t understand what action the court believes we should take, so we are appealing the ruling while beginning the task of applying for a new permit for the airport,” Mr Lindqvist says.
Stockholm-Arlanda Airport’s environmental work
For further information, please contact:
Jan Lindqvist, Head of Corporate Communication, LFV Stockholm-Arlanda, mobile 0708-91 64 02.