Swedish airport operator Swedavia is partnering with technology company Veovo and introducing new environmental emission charges at Stockholm Arlanda Airport and Gothenburg-Landvetter Airport.

Swedavia will use Veovo’s Revenue Management software to automatically calculate charges by using industry emission data sets and its own innovative environmental charging approach. Airlines will be incentivised to use more efficient aircraft.

James Williamson, CEO of Veovo, says, “The industry’s drive towards increased sustainability and carbon neutrality requires a toolkit of innovative technologies and approaches, including charging that rewards cleaner aircraft.

“We are pleased that our aeronautical billing engine with complete charge flexibility will support Swedavia in their initiative.”

Through the use of this software, Swedavia can provide an accurate billing process and there is transparency in the calculations which are available to airlines through invoices.

The Swedish government differentiates airport charges for environmental reasons. As a result, Swedavia introduced the CO2 and NOx Emission Charges. Aircraft with higher emissions are penalised and cleaner aircraft are rewarded through these changes.

Therefore, Swedavia encourages airlines to use modern aircraft – the lower the level of nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbon emissions produced by an aircraft engine, the lower the take-off charges. In addition, at Stockholm Arlanda, quieter aircraft models pay lower charges than older and noisier aircraft.

Swedavia operates 10 Swedish airports and was awarded the Eco-Innovation Airport of the Year in 2021 for its work relating to climate change. This includes acknowledging that allowing aircraft to descend in conjunction with landing, as opposed to step by step, allows fuel to be saved while reducing noise and air emissions.

Additionally, determining landing time early allows the pilot to complete the final phase with engines at a lower RPM and avoid waiting time.

Lena Wennberg, chief sustainable development officer at Swedavia, says: “By the end of 2020, Swedavia became completely fossil-free in our airport operations. Fossil-free renewable HVO-diesel is now being fuelled at our airports.

“Within the Swedish government’s initiative Fossil-free Sweden, which we work within, there are also goals for domestic flights to be completely fossil-free by 2030. For international traffic, all planes taking off from Swedavia’s airports must be fossil-free by 2045.”