System approach towards enhancement of airports’ energy efficiency

Abstract

The observed growth of aviation economy sector leads to increasing final energy consumption by both the air transport and airports. Nowadays, airports by their level of energy consumption are comparable to small towns with populations up to 50,000, which are integrated into the structure of megacities and urban areas. Comprehensive assessment of energy efficiency of aviation economy sector must include effectiveness of operation and maintenance of air transport services, ground services and efficiency of energy consumption by airport’s terminals and facilities. For reliable forecasts of energy costs and adequate decision-making, it is required to improve a system analysis. A hierarchical system “Sustainable Airport” is offered as a methodological approach to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions by improving energy and fuel efficiency. The key levels of hierarchical system “Sustainable Airport” are considered. An intelligent platform based on Smart technologies for air terminals, engineering processes, and related services in airports is proposed as a part of system’s technical level.