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Small airport adoption of environmental practices: A managerial perspective
Journal of Airport Management,
18
(2),
197-213
(2024)
Abstract
Although the environmental effects associated with the operation of a small airport may not exceed regulatory thresholds and may be small in comparison to the environmental impacts associated with the operation of large hubs, the combined cumulative environmental impacts of small airports remains considerable and individual sites may aspire to improve their environmental performance. Small airports, however, may struggle to adopt the environmental practices (EP) that enable larger airports to manage and mitigate their externalities. As such, there is an unrealised potential for environmental mitigation at small airports. The aim of this research is to explore the drivers and barriers to EP adoption at small airports. Using in-depth semi-structured interviews with airport managers and environmental officers representing 19 small airports in the UK, this paper identifies and examines the drivers and barriers to EP engagement for small airports. The findings show that although cost can be an issue, human resource availability, levels of management support and local site-specific factors often pose the biggest challenges to EP adoption. Policy and practice-based recommendations to support small airport engagement with EPs are offered in the conclusion.
Keywords: small airports; environmental impacts; environmental practices (EPs); environmental management
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Grace Harley obtained her PhD from Loughborough University in 2021, researching environmental behaviours of small European airports. Prior to this, she completed a BSc in air transport management at Loughborough University, complemented by an internship at Airports Council International – North America. Currently, she manages fast jet simulator operations at British Aerospace (BAE) Systems. She has a keen interest in investigating sustainable solutions for military training through simulated methodologies.
Andrew J. Timmis Andrew Timmis is Senior Lecturer in Transport and Planning and Programme Director of the BSc and MPlan in Urban Planning in the School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering at Loughborough University, UK. His research is focused on sustainable transitions within the aviation system with a particular focus on the policy and management of environmental impacts.
Lucy Budd is Professor of Air Transport Management and Programme Lead for the MSc in Air Transport Management at Leicester Castle Business School, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK. She is editor-in-chief of the journal Research in Transportation Business and Management and has published widely in the area of air transport planning and operations. She is currently conducting research into net zero and the passenger experience.
