Enviroment

Our zero vision

In 2020, Swedavia reached its goal of zero fossil carbon dioxide emissions from its own airport operations.

There is extensive work behind our success in achieving zero fossil carbon dioxide emissions. We purchase green electricity for all of our operations, our uninterruptible power supply runs on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), our vehicle fleet runs on HVO, fossil-free gas or green electricity, and we purchase biogasol and biogas.

Read more about our work with our zero emissions goal, what else we do and what you can do to contribute to aviation’s transition to net zero operations.

Expanded climate work

All of Swedavia’s airports are accredited at the ACA 3+ level in accordance with Airport Council International (ACI) Europe’s standards for the climate work of airports. That means our airports continuously reduce fossil carbon dioxide emissions from their own operations, offset the emissions that have not yet been reduced and help other businesses operating at the airports to reduce their emissions. At the end of 2020, we achieved our goal of zero fossil carbon dioxide emissions for the airport operations run under our own management. 

The next goal is to have all the airports accredited at the ACA 4+ level, which means that agents for de-icing runways/aircraft and coolants will be included in the measurements. We shall also work to a greater extent to engage and work together with other companies and organisations that have significant carbon dioxide emissions at the airports in order to continue reducing emissions together. Over time, all the operations at our airports will switch to renewable energy sources. This work is in line with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s goal not to exceed a 1.5 C degree rise in global warming as well as Swedavia’s strategy and goals for proactive climate change adaptation.

You can read more about the programme here.

Read more here about Swedavia’s environmental work.

Testing arena for electric aircraft – Green Flyway

Green Flyway is a project to create an international testing arena for electric and autonomous aircraft in Östersund and Röros connected to an airspace corridor between Trondheim, Röros and Östersund. The project was launched on October 1, 2020, making Åre Östersund Airport the first of Swedavia’s ten airports to test and prepare infrastructure enabling the transition to increased electrification of aviation.

The test centre enables the testing of electric aircraft and drones under the scope of the EU/interregional project Green Flyway. The goals of the project are also to investigate airspace control for autonomous aircraft, adapt airports to electric operations, work to develop electric air routes and spread knowledge and skills.

You can read more about the project here

In the autumn of 2006, a new environmental permit procedure for Åre Östersund Airport was launched. An application for a new permit was submitted to the Environmental Court in September 2007. In November 2008, the Environmental Court in Östersund issued a new permit. This was appealed in the Environmental Court of Appeals, which issued a ruling in November 2009. After another appeal was filed, the Swedish Supreme Court ruled not to issue a leave to appeal and the previous rulings were upheld.

Swedavia, which owns and operates the airport, placed the new environmental permit in force on January 1, 2011.

Read more here: 

Environmental Court’s ruling (in Swedish) (opens in new window)

Environmental Court of Appeal’s ruling (in Swedish) (opens in new window)

Environmental permit procedure (in Swedish) (opens in new window)

Every year, all operations subject to the environmental permit required under the Swedish Environmental Code must submit an environmental report.

The report must be sent to the regulatory authority by March 31 of the following year. Operations at Åre Östersund Airport are subject to an environmental permit, and the airport submits its report to the Jämtland County Administrative Board.

The environmental report must show how these operations comply with the conditions set. It is also good for self-inspection and gives the regulatory authority a documentary basis for its oversight.

Environmental report 2021, PDF (in Swedish)

Appendix 1 – List of vehicles, PDF (in Swedish)

Appendix 2 – Sampling points, PDF (in Swedish)

Appendix 3 – Coolant report, PDF (in Swedish)

Appendix 4 - Waste, PDF (in Swedish)

Compliance with environmental laws in force as well as other national and international regulations and requirements is a matter of course. Swedavia, which operates the airport, also works to limit aviation noise and emissions from airport operations. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to work based on the following strategies:

• Concern for the environment shall be an integral part of all operations and be a factor in decisions.
• Climate change is the most important environmental issue for the aviation industry and shall be given priority in all decisions and activities.
• Swedavia shall continually make operations more energy-efficient and guide operations towards sustainable resource use.
• Swedavia’s employees shall all be involved in the company’s environmental work and be well informed about relevant laws.
• Swedavia shall assess and manage the environmental risks of operations in a systematic way.
• Swedavia shall take an active part in local, regional, national and international efforts aimed at reducing the negative environmental impact of the aviation industry and work for the sustainable development of its airports.

Environmental management system

Work is continuously carried out at Åre Östersund Airport to reduce the environmental impact of operations, and the airport places great emphasis on working with environmental issues in a structured, systematic way.

The airport is certified for its environmental performance in accordance with ISO 14 001 standards. This certification indicates that the airport not only complies with the requirements of environmental authorities but also with the general and specific environmental goals set for Åre Östersund Airport.

Both internal and external environmental audits are carried out at the airport. The aim of these audits is to check whether the environmental management system is used, is sufficient and is effective. There is continuous improvement work under way, with increasingly stringent requirements, which means environmental goals are also raised every year.

Grayling in the waterways

Filming of fish – a successful environmental project

Åre Östersund Airport studies the population of grayling (Thymallus thymallus) in the Lövtorpsbäcken river to determine whether the fish are affected by the airport’s discharges to water. The grayling are filmed at a minimum every five years and are counted when they swim up the river during the spawning season.

The grayling can be studied by catching them, but in that case it is easy for them to be injured. To map and study the population, Swedavia has instead developed a method together with experts which entails the filming of grayling as they swim up the Lövtorpsbäcken river to spawn during the month of May.

Good conditions for grayling

The surveys have shown that the physical and physicochemical conditions for grayling reproduction are very good in the Lövtorpsbäcken river. This means among other things that the flow is strong enough, there is enough water at the time the grayling spawn and it has the right light conditions, enough trees around the river, the right kind of material on the river bottom, the right water quality and the right food for the species.

There are areas with very high nature conservation values in the vicinity of the airport. Two species on the EU Red List of threatened species, three protected species and two so-called indicator species have been found. These species thrive here thanks to the airport’s management of its land. Regular cutting of the airport’s grasslands creates carefully maintained grasslands, a relatively uncommon type of natural landscape today.

To preserve biodiversity, it is obviously important to continue management of the grasslands at the airport.

Some of the unique species found at the airport are presented in Åre Österlund’s “green oasis,” a mini park located at the airport. Visitors can enjoy a quiet moment in a beautiful setting, one that also provides information about biodiversity and other aspects.

The Webtrak tool that we previously made available here on our website is being reviewed, and we are exploring the possibilities of using other data sources. This is in order to once again enable people living in the vicinity of our airports to track air traffic movements. It will also be possible to connect this information to aviation noise measurements where available.