Marabu, a new company that we have started to serve in our airports of XRY, AGP, TFS, SPC to destinations such as MUC and HAM.
BCN airport receives the HVC (High Customer Value) award from LATAM for the attention they give to High Value passengers. Congratulations!
Javier Zamora, XRY’s ground handling manager, collects in Frankfurt the award given by Condor for the best turnaround performance of its aircraft (Best turnaround performance shorthaul). Good job, XRY!
Granada receives the first flight of Volotea’s new route linking this city with Asturias. Welcome!
Togethering” meeting in BCN between Vueling and our colleagues at BCN airport.
Togethering” meeting at AGP between Vueling and our colleagues from Malaga airport.
It is the first time that this type of sustainable fuel is used in a Spanish airport for handling activities
Over the next month, both companies will use this net zero emissions fuel, produced from Petronor waste, for all aircraft and customer service operations at Loiu airport
This milestone marks another step towards the decarbonisation of the aviation sector and the airport environment
Aena supports this initiative in line with its role as promoter and facilitator of the sector in terms of decarbonisation of air transport
Iberia and Repsol thus continue advancing in their collaboration agreement towards more sustainable travel.
For the first time in Spain, Iberia Airport Services and Repsol carry out handling activities at Bilbao airport with 100% renewable fuel. Over the next month, both companies will use a sustainable fuel, treated at the Petronor plant, for all aircraft and customer service operations at Loiu airport.
Renewable fuels are those that are produced from renewable raw materials. They produce net zero emissions and make an effective contribution to the green transition of the airline industry. Advanced biofuels are made from organic waste such as used vegetable oils, animal fats, and agricultural and forestry residues that are not intended for food.
Repsol has manufactured and marketed biofuels for more than two decades, and since 2019, it has incorporated organic waste in its manufacture. In 2025, Repsol will have a production capacity of 1.3 million tonnes of renewable fuels and will reach more than two million tonnes in 2030, which will position it as a leading company in the production of these fuels in Spain and Europe.
The Operation with HVO in Bilbao in Figures
For one month, Iberia Airport Services will supply almost all of its handling teams with 5,000 litres of 100% renewable Repsol fuel, treated at the Petronor refinery in Muskiz, just 30 kilometres from Loiu airport. They will refuel their conveyor belts, ladders, electrical and pneumatic equipment, planters, tractors, platforms, and pushback trailers, leading to a reduction of some 12.5 tonnes of CO2 over the next month.
Iberia Airport Services serves nine companies in Loiu, including Vueling and Iberia, and all of them will benefit from this pioneering initiative.
Carlos Suarez, Director of Mobility at Repsol, said, “This pioneering initiative, carried out along with Iberia and Petronor at Bilbao airport, reinforces Repsol’s commitment to renewable fuels, one of the main levers for becoming a net zero emissions company by 2050. Renewable fuels already reduce CO2 emissions from transport and are compatible with the current vehicle fleet and existing distribution and refuelling infrastructures, without the need to make any modifications. These fuels broaden the range of technologies to decarbonise the hugely important airport services sector.”
From left to right: Francisco López Noguera, Iberia Airport Operations Director; José Luis de Luna, Iberia Airport Director; Iván Grande, Bilbao Airport Director; Carlos Suárez, Repsol Mobility Director and José Ignacio Zudaire, Assistant to the CEO of Petronor
For his part, José Luis de Luna, director of Iberia Airports, said, “At Iberia Airport Services we are committed to achieving the goal of net zero emissions in our airport services throughout the network by 2025. To do this, we are going to invest more than €100 million in some thirty initiatives, including the electrification of more than 80% of our equipment, and the use of alternative energies, such as HVO, a fuel that allows us to reduce equipment emissions by 100%.”
For José Ignacio Zudaire, deputy to the CEO of Petronor, “It is meaningful that the first time that renewable fuel is used in Spain in airport handling activities is in Bilbao. It is a wonderful opportunity to highlight our commitment and industrial capacity for the production of sustainable fuel from waste at our Muskiz refinery. There is no doubt that we are advancing, on the basis of solid industrial and technological foundations, towards the decarbonisation of transport with our net zero emissions fuel.”
Iván Grande, director of the Bilbao Airport, pointed out that “Aena supports this initiative in line with its role as promoter and facilitator of the sector in terms of decarbonisation of air transport. At Aena we are working on multiple projects that completely revolutionise our energy consumption model. We believe in new fuels as the best tool to fight climate change. The development of new clean energy sources will be crucial for the sustainability of the aviation sector and transport in general.”
This initiative is part of the collaboration agreement towards more sustainable mobility between Iberia and Repsol in 2021. Since then, both companies have collaborated on the AVIATOR project, to analyse the impact of aviation emissions on the air quality at airports. On the other hand, they also made the first Madrid-Bilbao flight and the first long-haul flights to Washington DC, Dallas Fort Worth and San Francisco using sustainable fuel produced from waste. In addition, in January 2022 Iberia joined the SHYNE (Spanish Hydrogen Network) consortium, led by Repsol to accelerate the development of green hydrogen in Spain. Likewise, this year both companies began to offer the airline’s corporate clients the purchase of sustainably sourced fuel, which allows them to reduce emissions and decarbonise their business trips.
The strategic agreement between Repsol and Iberia lays out a roadmap for the promotion of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) for the coming years. These products will be processed in the first advanced biofuels plant in Spain, in Cartagena, Murcia, which is scheduled to come into operation in 2023. Also in 2025, Repsol and Iberia plan to operate with synthetic SAF (e-fuel). produced at the Petronor plant (Bilbao).
As part of the Instituto para la Diversificación y Ahorro de la Energía (IDAE) programme for efficient and sustainable mobility.
This concession supports Iberia’s project for the decarbonisation of airport services through the electrification of ground equipment.
Iberia Airport Services has committed to invest more than 100 million euros in equipment renewal and to achieve zero net emissions by 2025.
Iberia provides handling services at 29 Spanish airports, and has bid in Aena’s public tender for a licence at 41 airports.
Iberia Airport Services (IBAS) has received 14.2 million euros from the Instituto para la Diversificación y Ahorro de la Energía (IDAE) to renew the ground equipment it uses to provide aircraft handling services at 29 Spanish airports.
This concession is part of the aid programme for efficient and sustainable mobility, and endorses the solvency of Iberia Airport Services’ project to advance in the decarbonisation of airport services through the electrification of ground equipment.
More than 100 million euros to achieve net zero emissions by 2025
Specifically, in the bid submitted to AENA to obtain third-party handling licences, Iberia Airport Services has committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2025 and, to this end, plans to invest more than 100 million euros to renew its 7,000 pieces of equipment and electrify 80% of its fleet in the coming years.
Over the last year, in order to meet the requirements of the new handling licences, IBAS has strengthened its collaboration with the main manufacturers of ground equipment in the sector to lead tests with electric equipment at airports such as Mallorca, Malaga, Barcelona and Madrid.
The incorporation of this equipment means qualitative and quantitative improvements, both for its lower impact on the environment, as emissions, noise and vibrations are reduced; and for Iberia Airport Services workers, as its handling is easier and its technology provides greater safety.
IBAS was the first handling operator in the world to use the remote-controlled push back Mototok tractors on regional aircraft with up to 100 seats.
Going all out in upcoming handling tenders
Iberia Airport Services has submitted its best bids to Aena for the new handling licences at 41 Spanish airports. To this end, it has submitted a customised proposal for each airport, which brings together the best possible technical and economic offer, and has been built with a focus, above all, on sustainability, innovation, people and costs.
The summer season is starting, which this year coincides with the beginning of Easter and the longest days of the year.
And this is already noticeable at our airports, where new planes, new customers and new routes are landing. Good news for a season that promises high occupancy, even more than in 2019, according to the airports.
Reus
Reus is warming up its engines after a winter without commercial operations and is launching a new season, a new international route and a new company. Vueling will make two weekly flights to ORY
La Coruña
Easy Jet lands for the first time in La Coruña to fly to GVA and MXP, twice a week to each destination.
Granada
Binter, from last weekend, will link GRX with Gran Canaria, also twice a week.
Bilbao
Wizz Air launches new destinations and regular operation (from two flights a week to four depending on the month). WAW and VIE are the chosen cities.
Iberia Airport Services, Iberia’s handling division, has more than 7,000 pieces of ground equipment at the 29 airports where it provides ramp services to third parties. The fleet is made up of all the necessary machinery for loading luggage in the hold, boarding passengers, towing aircraft, and carrying luggage, merchandise, passengers, and employees at the airport. That is, cars, vans, tractors, cars, trucks, elevators, stairs, conveyor belts, platforms, and buses, among others. Controlling the status, use, and positioning of 7000 pieces of equipment is not an easy task due to their constant movement and displacement of during the day.
Currently, IBAS has an innovative fleet management and geopositioning system for motorised equipment. These systems have allowed IBAS to achieve operational, quality, and safety improvements in its service.
Where’s Wally ?
The main benefit resides in cost savings per year for equipment search. Fleet control procedures required the counting of equipment at various times of the day to ensure their position and status. In airports with high activity, such as Madrid or Barcelona, this task was carried out by dedicated supervisors.
With this system, it is possible to see at a glance where the equipment is and who is operating it. It is also possible to view the equipment available if it is necessary to reinforce the operation with auxiliary machinery. The capture of geolocation data in real time allows for improved and automated monitoring of the service and makes it possible to identify at any time which is the closest equipment for the provision of the service.
The vehicle start control is activated automatically with the ramp agent’s ID card. This has made it possible to eliminate the use of keys and their management. The custody of more than 7,000 keys, their correct identification and the daily allocation of the operators who handle the equipment used to be carried out manually by dedicated personnel. Currently, the equipment can only be accessed when the agent enters the identification card if the system recognises him or her as able to operate it, without the need to spend additional time on key management.
Telemetry, the Oracle of Activity
The identification of the driver-team is maintained throughout the driving operation. The telemetry system stores information on all our employees, monitoring their behaviour while driving. The analysis of the way each employee drives, individually, makes it possible to identify good practices and issues that can be improved: speed control, behaviour when turning, improvements in accelerations and stops, etc. This measure has allowed us to improve operational safety and reduce bumps and collisions by 10%, leading to a 15% increase in the availability of equipment as there are more units in operation.
In parallel, the monitoring of consumption and CO2 emissions provided by telemetry makes it possible to anticipate technical problems in vehicles and equipment when the average indicators deviate from the operating parameters. Thus, it has been possible to reduce emissions and increase energy efficiency in the use of the motorised fleet.
Geopositioning is also very useful to supervise the parking of vehicles within the permitted zones that are assigned to each handling agent. This is vital to position the equipment in the areas closest to the operation during times of less activity at the airport, which makes it possible to reduce travel and operating times, in addition to avoiding fines associated with incorrectly parked equipment.
There is something magical about flying: the feeling of soaring above the world and exploring new horizons. But in the midst of this wonder, we sometimes forget that there is a team working tirelessly behind the scenes to make this feat possible.
Every day, no matter the time or destination, a team of Iberia Airport Services experts is dedicated to preparing the airline’s flights. It is they who ensure that each take-off is safe and efficient, a task that requires meticulous dedication and preparation.
Blas Acosta, Iberia’s ground services coordinator, knows that the success of a flight depends to a large extent on the coordination and care taken behind the scenes. His team receives each aircraft, prepares it meticulously and makes sure that everything is in optimal condition before loading fuel, food, and finally boarding the passengers. In addition, they have state-of-the-art computerised systems that allow them to have real-time information on the location of travellers and their luggage.
Over the course of the last year, Iberia Airport Services has implemented a series of innovative electrical equipment at various airports, with the aim of reducing its carbon footprint and improving both the performance and safety of its workers. Among these advanced tools is the mototok, an innovative technology that allows for more efficient aircraft handling, reducing its impact on the environment.
The company currently aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2025 and to electrify 80% of its fleet in the coming years. This noble and ambitious goal represents a significant step in the fight against climate change in the aviation sector, which will translate into a cleaner and safer future for all.
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