Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) will from this month power cargo transporters and other ground support equipment (GSE) with biofuel at Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport to further reduce its environmental impact.
The SATS-owned ground handler will switch from conventional fuel to biofuel for GSE, with the aim of cutting GSE carbon emissions by 80% at Paris CDG.
Biofuel will be used for equipment including tow trucks, self-propelled aircraft stairs, ground power units, loaders, aircraft pushback vehicles, cargo transporters and air start units. These GSEs are used to handle over 2,850 flights a year at the airport.
WFS will utilise over 400,000 litres of biofuel HVO100 from Avia Group-member supplier Campus to support 82% of its yearly GSE energy consumption.
“This latest Biofuel deployment by WFS in the EMEAA region will make another important contribution to meeting SATS’ Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) group priorities . The use of Biofuel is a ‘plug and play’ solution which enables us to responsibly source a sustainable fuel without the need to modify our GSE fleet,” said Laurent Bernard, WFS’ country manager, France.
This latest initiative follows the start of trials of HVO biofuels by WFS at Heathrow Airport in July, in support of Heathrow’s goal for all airport vehicles to be zero-emission or using biofuels by 2030.
Pending a successful outcome of the initial three-month trial involving WFS’ airside transport fleet, HVO biofuel will be phased in across the entire WFS fleet of 77 airside vehicles, which conduct approximately 130,000 truck movements a year at Heathrow for airline customers.
HVO 100 is a type of renewable diesel derived from waste and residues, including animal fat, industrial waste, and waste water.
In August, WFS became the first cargo handler at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) to introduce electric cargo towing vehicles.
