SOUTH will invest more than €35 million in its sustainability plan through fleet renewal, supported by funding from the IDAE.

Programme of aid for singular projects in sustainable mobility
 

(MOVES Singular Projects II)

Co-financed by funds from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF)

Project name: Descarbonización del ground handling aeroportuario mediante proyecto de electrificación de equipamiento tierra (eGSE) 

File number: PR-MOVSING2-C2-2022-0503 

Budget: 35.636.557,00 € 

Funding: 14.254.622,80 € 

This project for the decarbonisation of airport ground handling activities confirms the strong commitment of SOUTH EUROPE GROUND SERVICES, S.L. to clean energy through the deployment of electric ground support equipment (eGSE).

Ground operational processes are the connecting element between aircraft en-route operations and airport infrastructure. Airport handling is defined as Aircraft Ground Handling. This service encompasses a wide range of activities and processes carried out at the airport, serving both passengers and aircraft or the cargo they transport, enabling the transfer between air and land transport modes and vice versa. In these operations, various support vehicles are used to assist aircraft while they are on the ground. The main functions performed by these vehicles are related to aircraft and passenger mobility, loading and unloading operations—whether baggage or passengers—and ground power operations, among others.

Beyond the transport of passengers and cargo itself, airports and their ground operations also contribute a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Without the implementation by the aviation industry of measures that enable progress in disruptive technologies such as new engines, infrastructure improvements, sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), electrification of airport operations, or advancements in avionics systems, the International Civil Aviation Organization warns that emissions could grow exponentially.

In a scenario of electrifying ground equipment operations, the main challenges arise when assessing the current capabilities of available electric equipment, the infrastructure and charging requirements needed for effective implementation, communication platforms, and operational performance that ensures operations can be maintained in a more sustainable environment, as well as the expected impact on emission reductions and economic viability throughout the equipment lifecycle.

The overall objective of the project is to apply and validate innovative and distinctive electric mobility solutions that support the decarbonisation of ground handling processes at Spanish airports, using an optimal mix of electric ground support equipment (eGSE) that enables the electrification of more than 30% of the current fleet, along with the necessary charging infrastructure and batteries to ensure efficient operations on the airside platform.

This objective is expected to reduce CO₂ emissions from ground handling operations by more than 8,000 tonnes of CO₂ and achieve energy savings of around 4,000 toe between 2024 and 2028.

This initiative is aligned with the priorities of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, as well as with the European flagship initiatives presented by the European Commission in the 2021 Annual Sustainable Growth Strategy. Among these flagship initiatives, support for electrification stands out.

Furthermore, the project is aligned with the objectives of the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC), which promotes energy efficiency measures in air transport to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The ground handling decarbonisation project will boost electric mobility by creating an airport infrastructure network for generation, distribution, and charging, driving the technological shift towards electric ground support equipment (eGSE).