When it comes to climate protection, the aviation industry faces a lot of criticism – even though it only accounts for 3% of CO2 emissions worldwide. The situation is made more difficult by the fact that there is no quick, simple solution to improving environmental compatibility. New engines – battery or hydrogen-powered – will not be available in the short term. And nor is the climate-friendly substitute for fossil paraffin – Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) – available yet in the required quantities. The airlines have nevertheless committed to being CO2-neutral by 2050. But the road towards this goal is likely to be paved with a number of stumbling blocks.

Airports have an easier time of it. First and foremost, they need to find a climate-friendly alternative for electricity and energy. At Frankfurt Airport, for example, the „centrepiece of decarbonisation“ is a changed electricity mix for the airport. From 2026, 100% of demand is to be covered by renewable sources. To this end, an agreement has been reached with EnBW on the purchase of wind power from the North Sea, and large-scale photovoltaic systems have also been installed on the airport site. Another area of leverage is the conversion of the vehicle fleet to e-mobility.

The topic of sustainability is an important part of the Fraport airport operator's Group Strategy 2030, and therefore has a major influence on the company's development. Jana Baschin, responsible for both Corporate Strategy and Sustainability at Fraport, points out how big the differences are between the emissions of an airport, and those of its customers from the airline industry.

„If you look at the emissions at the airport, only 10% are Scope 1 or Scope 2 emissions, which we at Fraport can influence directly. 90% of emissions are generated when aircraft take off and land in the airline's area of responsibility,“ explains the 35-year-old in an interview with Börsen-Zeitung.

In her position for a year now, she notes that the regulatory requirements for ESG are considerable. In view of these, such as the future refuelling of aircraft with SAF, „we have to make sure that we remain competitive as Europeans“, she says. The aviation industry needs to create solutions such as alternative engines, so that there is no eventual threat of a ban on some air travel.

Requirements for more climate protection are now incorporated into all of Fraport's planning, as can be seen in the construction of the new Terminal 3 at Frankfurt Airport. Specific building materials were used, and photovoltaic systems were installed on the roof of the multi-storey car park, and energy-related issues were also dealt with differently than in the existing terminals. Whereas the buildings used to be lit around the clock and cooled down continuously, this is now controlled in much greater detail. None of this comes for free. „More sustainability initially costs a lot of money, but we have allowed for this in our economic planning and we will benefit from it again in the future,“ says Baschin.

Baschin has spent her entire professional life at Fraport. She started there with a dual study programme in aviation management, and then went on to complete a master's degree in management and business law. Born in Brandenburg, she initially focussed more on the topic of compliance, and then increasingly on sustainability. She came into contact with the topic of climate protection early on. „I spent a year in Australia in 2005/06 as part of a student exchange programme. The consequences of the hole in the ozone layer were already playing a major role there at the time, but climate protection wasn't much of a topic here,“ recalls the manager, who is a keen swimmer, and lives in Mainz.

The topic of sustainability accounts for a good 50% of her work, says Baschin. However, this also has to do with the fact that Fraport has long paid great attention to social issues, for example. Employee benefits and the issue of job security have been a high priority since the 1970s, so there is comparatively little catching up to do.

Baschin explains that her own perception of climate protection has changed as a result of her work as an ESG manager. „In view of extreme weather and the climate crisis, I always ask myself what I can do personally and how we can position ourselves even better as a company“, she says. This means keeping an eye on the little things. „If I leave my workplace in the evening and there's still a light on somewhere, I switch it off.“