Q: What is TLD’s decarbonisation strategy to reduce its carbon footprint as the aviation industry takes on the path to making net zero possible?
The general aviation industry is moving towards a clean, sustainable future
TLD has committed to following the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and recognizes the shared responsibility to protect our planet. Both are committed to promoting a circular economy whenever practical, using sustainable resources, and responsible sourcing. As such, one of their key objectives is reducing their environmental footprint and contributing to the reduction of the aviation industry's environmental footprint through their products and services.
For more information, please see the below web pages:
TLD: https://www.tld-group.com/our-green-program/
Q: In your opinion, which Southeast Asian Hub Airports have the edge in airport sustainability? What are the approaches these airports take to reduce GSE emissions?
With regards to our activity, ground support equipment, the leader would be Hong-Hong, who took the steps to electrify their GSE, loaders, conveyor belts, passengers' steps, and baggage tractors. South East Asia is gradually recovering from the pandemic, and we see a stronger interest and more inquiries for electric and cost-saving solutions.
Q: What are some of the projects that TLD has completed in Asia and has planned for in 2023? What role does TLD play to help airports in Asia accelerate their strategy to reduce their carbon footprint?
Because the infrastructure (airports) in Southeast Asia is not yet ready for electrification, TLD has taken steps to phase out all combustion engines by the end of 2024. To that end, we've created a suite of hybrid solutions to assist our customers in reducing their carbon footprint. To summarize, our equipment will be electric-ready but supported by a smaller engine to overcome the lack of electrical infrastructure. As soon as chargers are available, the equipment can be converted to full electric in a day at a much lower cost than the conversion from diesel to electric. In addition, the group is actively working on greenfield airport projects and promoting performing PCA that will ensure APU ban operation, both of which are currently lacking in all the region's airports. In addition to addressing emissions caused using APUs, our sister company SAS is promoting the TaxiBot, a one-of-a-kind green taxiing solution that addresses nearly 20% of airport emissions sources.
Q: After 2 years of industry change, airport advancement, and digital acceleration, what are some of the challenges airports in Asia are facing now and how are they keeping up with their European counterparts?
All airports and airlines are in financial trouble due to two years of low operations. Consider leasing a light asset, purchasing used equipment, or pooling as a solution.
With the issue of emerging carbon footprint constraints, one solution could be to purchase more electric GSE or convert diesel machines to electric machines. We can also consider hybrids when charging infrastructure is temporarily unavailable. Apply new technology for carbon footprint reduction, such as APU Off, etc. For large airports, Taxibot could be used to reduce its carbon footprint by turning off its engine.
With the challenge of fast-growing digitization technology development, a solution could be to raise the mandatory requirement for new machines to have IoT functions installed while allowing retrofits for older machines to allow all machines to connect to FMS for better control and efficiency improvement.
The increasing requirements for safety on the apron could be solved by using ASD technology to make sure aircraft are safe as they approach.
The challenge of human resource scarcity can be solved through driverless technology used in baggage tractors, etc., in airports.