Environmental performance index for Brazilian public airports: The Infraero experience

• Published in: Environmental science & policy 2020-10, Vol.112, p.164-171
• Main Authors: Moreira Neto, Ronan Fernandes, Paris, Luis Eduardo, Abrão Junior, Fued, Fernandes, Arthur Neiva
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Airports; Environmental indicators; Environmental performance index
• ISSN: 1462-9011; 1873-6416
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2020.05.023

•Airport environmental performance index in Brazil had average annual evolution of 5%.•Large airports presented better environmental performance values.•Performance index considering biomes is a new approach, relevant for decision-making. Most indicators of airport performance found in the literature evaluate the quality of the services and the maintenance of operational safety levels, but only a few studies take into account environmental issues. This study presents the experience of the Brazilian Airport Infrastructure Enterprise (Infraero) in the implementation and assessment of the Infraero Environmental Performance Index (IEPI), formed by 25 indicators distributed into 10 environmental dimensions. The index was applied to 54 Brazilian public airports administrated by Infraero, between 2017 and 2019. The index was also applied to groups of airports according to their category, defined by the Brazilian Civil Aviation Regulation (RBAC) nº 153 (IEPIclass), and the biome in which the airport is inserted (IEPIbiome). The IEPI presented an average annual evolution of 5.0 % and ended the assessed period at 74.8 %, showing a significant improvement in the environmental quality of the airports in the assessed period. Large airports (Class IV) presented high environmental performance (IEPIclass = 94 %), showing the importance of having staff dedicated to address environmental issues in airports. With respect to the biomes, Pantanal presented the best result (IEPIbiome = 84 %). The index applied to different biomes presents an innovative approach to relate the environmental performance to the ecosystem where the airport is located, but still need improvement to properly reflect the specific characteristics of each of these ecosystems. There is still a long way to go regarding the implementation and monitoring of environmental performance indicators in airports, but the Infraero experience in the application of the IEPI shows a path that can be followed and improved. We believe that the IEPI is an important tool for airport management and decision making, since it provides a simple and quick portrait of the status of environmental actions and evidences the areas which require more attention.