Emissions to water and ground
Activities at the airports must not result in new soil contamination or a deterioration in the aquatic environment. This requires continuous work to monitor and reduce discharges of de-icing chemicals.
The use of de-icing chemicals is absolutely necessary to reduce ice and snow on aircraft and runways, so that conditions comply with safety regulations. Runoff and dispersion of de-icing chemicals from airport areas can affect nature's resilience and capacity for breakdown, as both aircraft and runway de-icing chemicals require oxygen during biological degradation.
The consumption of de-icing chemicals at the airports is continuously monitored. At airports with high consumption and vulnerable receiving waters, mitigating measures are considered. Examples of such measures are changes in sweeping patterns, increased use of traction sand, removal of snow from snow disposal sites, and greater use of mechanical work. The amounts of de-icing chemicals used per year vary with weather and temperature conditions, as well as the total number of aircraft departures.
All of Avinor's airports have valid discharge permits in accordance with the Pollution Control Act. These regulate the use of chemicals and impose requirements for emergency preparedness in the event of acute discharges, as well as environmental risk assessments. Avinor's discharge permits are available at https://www.norskeutslipp.no/ under Land-based industry – Airport. In several of the airports' discharge permits, requirements are set for extensive investigations of receiving water conditions to ensure that the requirements of the Water Regulations/EU Water Framework Directive are met. Reports from completed investigations can be found here.
Avinor works to ensure that the impact on the environment around the airports is as low as possible. This is to be achieved through systematic work, good maintenance routines, and preparedness systems.
Use of de-icing chemicals
Deicing chemicals
At Avinor’s airports, formate is used to de-ice the runway systems. Formate is an organic salt without environmentally hazardous additives. It is biodegradable and breaks down quickly in nature. Avinor regularly enters into central framework agreements for the purchase of runway de-icing chemicals. The choice of chemicals is based, among other things, on the operational and environmental properties of the available chemicals.
For aircraft de-icing, a glycol-based product (polypropylene glycol) is used. It is the handling companies that perform the de-icing at the pilot’s request and on behalf of the airlines. At present, there are no approved aircraft de-icing fluids without toxic additives, but the amount and number of additives have been significantly reduced in recent years, and the most toxic substance has been removed from the de-icing chemicals.
Avinor continuously complies with the substitution duty and also sets requirements for airlines to purchase the de-icing chemicals that are most environmentally favorable.