Ryanair to cut carbon emissions with electric ground handling

Ryanair Holdings Plc will introduce electric ground-handling equipment at 11 European airports including Madrid, Amsterdam and Oslo as the Irish airline looks to reduce its emissions. 

Europe’s biggest discount carrier will introduce electric-powered baggage vehicles and plane push-back tractors with partners Azul Handling and Menzies Aviation, Ryanair said in a statement Wednesday. Azul will allow it to offer zero emission turnarounds at eight Spanish locations, saving 1,000 tons of CO2 a year, it said. 

Carriers are under increasing pressure to reduce emissions even as travel demand rebounds from the coronavirus pandemic. Unlike cars or power plants, aircraft are extremely difficult to decarbonize due to extended development timelines and safety requirements, meaning airlines have to look at operational efficiencies and sustainable aviation fuels for ways to comply.

This month, the International Air Transport Association, the airline industry’s main lobby group, adopted a target of eliminating net carbon emissions by 2050.