King County International Airport becomes first in the Western Hemisphere to earn new certification for environmental sustainability

King County International Airport-Boeing Field (KCIA) is again receiving recognition for its environmental efforts. KCIA is the first airport in the United States, as well as the entire Western Hemisphere, to earn the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Environmental Assessment (IEnvA) Certification, a significant milestone.

"At King County, we're committed to reducing our environmental impact, especially for the people who live and work near the airport," said King County Executive Girmay Zahilay. "Earning this recognition reflects the dedication of King County employees who are doing the day-to-day work to protect nearby communities and build a cleaner future for the next generation. We've made real progress, and we're going to stay focused on doing the work to reduce our carbon footprint."

IEnvA is a new international certification program that helps airports and other air transport industry stakeholders towards greater environmental sustainability. Based on globally recognized standards and industry best practices, including the ISO environmental management system standard and the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), IEnvA is a voluntary, subscription-based, turnkey solution for environmental management.

"Attaining this Certification highlights your organization's commitment to continuously improving its environmental performance," IATA said in a statement notifying the airport of the achievement. "By meeting the rigorous standards set forth by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), you have demonstrated a clear resolve to minimize environmental impact and foster a greener future for our planet."

"We're working hard to prepare for and respond to climate change, as well as support King County's Strategic Climate Action Plan," said John Parrott, director of the airport. "It's an honor to be recognized for our efforts."

The airport is on track to meet its goal of carbon neutrality by 2030, related to direct emissions controlled by the airport and indirect emissions from purchased electricity, heating and cooling in buildings.

Airports Council International (ACI) recently informed the airport that it met the standards for Level 3 in the Airport Carbon Accreditation Program (ACAP) by engaging airport tenants and users to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Climate change caused by carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions will have long-term consequences for the environment, the economy, and public health and safety. To do its part to reduce the threat, King County Airport aims to be carbon neutral by 2030 for Scope 1 (direct emissions controlled by KCIA) and Scope 2 (indirect emissions from purchased electricity, heating and cooling in buildings) emissions.

KCIA has demonstrated its commitment to environmental stewardship and reducing carbon dioxide emissions in other ways as well including:

• Being the first airport in the nation to purchase and deploy a battery-electric runway sweeper.
• Being the first airport in the nation to take delivery of a hybrid-electric aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) vehicle.
• Welcoming a demonstration of BETA Technologies' ALIA CTOL, an all-electric aircraft, in October. The ALIA was then the first aircraft to use the newly refurbished Runway 14L/32R.
• Replacing Airport Operations vehicles with battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) like the Ford F-150 Lightning.

Capital construction projects are also part of the airport's environmental sustainability efforts, meeting or exceeding King County standards for construction and demolition debris landfill diversion rates.

Learn more about environmental initiatives at the airport.