Belfast International Airport, a member of VINCI Airports, has been awarded the prestigious Platinum rating in the 2025 NI Environmental Benchmarking Survey, placing it among the top 42 most sustainable businesses in Northern Ireland. The Airport is one of 150 organisations that were involved in the 2025 survey, which is organised by responsible business network Business in the Community (BITC). VINCI Airports is committed to achieving zero emissions by 2050 across the entire network. Environmental transition is a key part of the operational strategy focusing on reducing emissions, protecting biodiversity and natural environments, and adapting a circular economy approach.
Commenting on the award, the Compliance Manager at Belfast International Airport, Kevin Napier said: “It’s great to be recognised for our work in reducing our environmental impact and working towards our wider sustainability goals. We have rolled out several successful initiatives on-site already that have enhanced our sustainability and boosted environmental performance. The Airport also proudly maintained its excellence in management system certifications, retaining the ISO 14001 for environmental responsibility and achieving the ISO 50001 for energy efficiency. Key operational improvements include a 90% reduction in vehicle carbon emissions, reached by switching fuel sources to HVO, saving over 290 tonnes of carbon emissions annually. Furthermore, we now have 10 electric vehicles (EVs) as part of our on-site fleet to accelerate the decarbonisation of transportation. Our biodiversity project at Millennium Wood continues to thrive as a wonderful space where wildlife and plants can flourish. Our efforts to achieve a circular economy have also been an important part of our work, with recycling levels across the Airport site. We have achieved zero waste to landfill from the terminal activities.
Also commenting was the Managing Director at BITC, Dr. Lisa McIlvenna, who added, “The Survey is a self-disclosure exercise that offers organisations a way to be externally assessed and scored on their environmental efforts and performance. Participating organisations are sent a Gap Analysis Report to help them to identify areas that need action and highlight where they are performing well, so it’s a comparison tool and real driver for improvement.”
