NASA picks lunar relay contractor for Near Space Network Services

NASA has awarded a contract to Intuitive Machines, LLC of Houston, to support the agency’s lunar relay systems as part of the Near Space Network, operated by the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

This Subcategory 2.2 GEO to Cislunar Relay Services is a new firm-fixed-price, multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity task order contract. The contract has a base period of five years with an additional 5-year option period, with a maximum potential value of $4.82 billion. The base ordering period begins Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, through Sept. 30, 2029, with the option period potentially extending the contract through Sept. 30, 2034.

Lunar relays will play an essential role in NASA’s Artemis campaign to establish a long-term presence on the Moon. These relays will provide vital communication and navigation services for the exploration and scientific study of the Moon’s South Pole region. Without the extended coverage offered by lunar relays, landing opportunities at the Moon’s South Pole will be significantly limited due to the lack of direct communication between potential landing sites and ground stations on Earth.

The lunar relay award also includes services to support position, navigation, and timing capabilities, which are crucial for ensuring the safety of navigation on and around the lunar surface. Under the contract, Intuitive Machines also will enable NASA to provide communication and navigation services to customer missions in the near space region.

.Indonesian Air Force orders four Airbus H145 helicopters

Indonesian Air Force orders four Airbus H145 helicopters 

The Indonesian Air Force has placed an order for four Airbus H145 helicopters as part of its training modernisation programme. The order was announced during the Bali International Airshow taking place this week.

Under the agreement between the Indonesian Air Force and PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI), Airbus will deliver the five-bladed H145s to PTDI, who will manage the reassembly and completion of the mission equipment and other customisation work at its facility in Bandung, Indonesia, for final delivery to the air force. These multi-mission helicopters will be deployed for military training and light search-and-rescue missions.

“We are honoured by Indonesia’s selection of the country’s first Airbus H145 for its new training fleet. We are fully confident that the highly versatile H145 will make a positive impact in enhancing its military pilot training and at the same time be a critical enabler for its search-and-rescue operations. With a trusted partner in PTDI, we look forward to working together in support of Indonesia’s fleet,” said Vincent Dubrule, Head of Asia-Pacific, Airbus Helicopters.

“We are deeply honoured by the trust placed by the Indonesian Air Force through their order of the H145 helicopters as part of their training modernisation programme. This collaboration not only strengthens the long-standing partnership between PTDI and Airbus, but also showcases our commitment to providing innovative and reliable solutions for national operational needs. Through this close partnership, PTDI will not only support the delivery of the H145 helicopters but will also enhance our capabilities in terms of integration and assembly at our facilities. We are confident that this cooperation will create new opportunities for the development of the national aerospace industry and further sustain the long-term relationship between PTDI and Airbus, which we continue to strengthen for a more advanced future,” said Gita Amperiawan, President Director, PT Dirgantara Indonesia.

Airbus Helicopters and Indonesia have an enduring relationship of close to 50 years dating back to 1976 when PTDI first obtained a licence to produce the NBO-105 helicopter. PTDI became a key supplier of Airbus H225’s rear fuselage and main airframe in 2008, with full production in place in Indonesia by 2011. The two companies expanded the industrial cooperation in 2017, to include support and services dedicated for the Indonesian military fleet of helicopters, and most recently deepened the collaboration to explore the development of aerostructure production for the manufacturer's helicopter platform, helicopter completions, and enhancing local maintenance, repair and overhaul capabilities.

 

Losses reduce at Vertical Aerospace

Vertical Aerospace,  a global aerospace and technology company working towards zero-emission aviation, has just announced its financial results for the first half of the year ended June 30, 2024. 

Vertical maintained its industry-leading capital efficiency with an operating loss of £20 million. The company also got a boost in the first half of the year, when it was awarded an £8 million grant from the UK Government as part of its Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI).

Stuart Simpson, CEO at Vertical, said:  “During the past few months we have delivered our most advanced full-scale VX4 prototype, have gone from first powered ground test to 'wheels up’ in just one week and completed the first phase of our piloted test flight programme. Every day I continue to be deeply impressed by the phenomenal engineers we have and the progress we are making here in Bristol as we build a new generation of aviation. This could not be a more exciting time to follow Vertical as we accelerate through our piloted flight tests and work closely with the UK Civil Aviation Authority, our home regulator, on the path to certification.”

Alaska Airlines completes acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines

Alaska Air Group has today announced it has completed its acquisition of Hawaiian Holdings. Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines now begin the work to secure a single operating certificate with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which will allow the two airlines to operate as a single carrier with an integrated passenger service system. 

In the interim, the airlines will continue to operate as separate carriers with no immediate changes to operations and will maintain separate websites, reservation systems and loyalty programmes until later in the integration process. The management structure at Hawaiian Airlines has already been changed and according to sources at the airline, the company will transition to 80% Alaska Air leaders by the end of 2025.   

As of today, Alaska Air Group’s airlines and subsidiary airlines:

Fly nearly 1,500 daily flights to 141 destinations including 29 international markets in the Americas, Asia, Australia and the South Pacific. This expanded network feeds the more than 1,200 destinations available through the oneworld Alliance.

Maintain hubs in Seattle, Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, San Diego and Anchorage, with Honolulu becoming the second largest behind Seattle.

Operate a fleet of 350 aircraft, which includes 2 Boeing 787, 24 Airbus A330, 18 Airbus A321neo, 235 Boeing 737, 19 Boeing 717, 44 Embraer E175, and 8 dedicated freighters (3 Boeing 737-700, 2 Boeing 737-800 and 3 Airbus A330).

Employ more than 33,000 people across North America, Asia and the Pacific.

Mileage Plan and HawaiianMiles retain their full value at the moment, however, this is likely to change when HawaiianMiles is absorbed into Mileage Plan. Later this month, Alaska Airlines promises members will be able to seamlessly transfer miles between Mileage Plan and HawaiianMiles on a 1 - 1 basis.  

Qatar Airways launches four additional flights from Amsterdam for the winter season

The four additional weekly flights will begin from 12 November 2024 until 29 March 2025, following increased demand from passengers travelling from the Dutch capital to sun-soaked destinations

Qatar Airways, the World’s Best Airline as voted by Skytrax in 2024, is growing its operations in Amsterdam from 10 weekly flights to 14 with the launch of four additional weekly flights from Amsterdam starting 12 November 2024 until 29 March 2025.

 

Qatar Airways’ 14 weekly flights will enable 40,000 additional passengers to travel between Amsterdam and Doha through its award-winning hub, Hamad International Airport (DOH).

 

Qatar Airways Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. Thierry Antinori, said: "Qatar Airways is delighted to witness and serve the growing travel demand in the Dutch capital, which is an integral destination in our European network. We look forward to offering our world-class product and seamless service to travellers from Amsterdam seeking to experience the world through Qatar Airways’ extensive network of more than 170 global destinations.”

 

With the additional flights, travellers will have more opportunities to soak up the winter sun at their favourite destinations including Bali (Denpasar), Bangkok, and Ho Chi Minh City. Amsterdam, also known as the city of historic canals, is one of the leading destinations for passengers travelling from Asia and Australia.

 

Another new Airbus A321neo for Condor

Aviation Capital Group, a premier global full-service aircraft asset manager, has confirmed the delivery of an Airbus A321neo to German holiday carrier, Condor Flugdienst. The jet is powered by the ultra-efficient Pratt & Whitney GTF engines and is the fourth of four aircraft delivered to the airline from ACG’s order book with Airbus.

 

Sports and music event tourism unlocks new opportunities to capture spend

Collinson International launches a global research report unveiling how businesses can engage with sports and music fans to capture share of growing market spend.

Collinson International, the owner and operator of Priority Pass and LoungeKey, has released its latest global research report, The Value of Sports and Music Tourism, exploring the travel and spending habits of sports and music event travellers. The new research revealed that sports fans are the biggest spenders globally in comparison to those travelling for music events; 57% of Asia Pacific's (APAC) sports enthusiasts are spending more than US$500 per trip, per person.

Sports and music tourism is seeing huge growth. In 2023, sports tourism was valued at US$564.7 billion and is expected to almost double in value to US$1.33 trillion by 2032.[1] Similarly, music tourism is expected to see huge growth, forecasted to reach US$13.8 billion by 2032.[2] This is being driven by three main components: events, with more sports and music events, fans have more choice of destinations; exposure, the internationalisation of new and existing sports leagues through TV and streaming has encouraged fans to travel, while music fans are finding it may be more cost-effective to see an artist abroad; and experience, after years of Covid-19 travel restrictions, live fans are back and wanting new, enhanced experiences.  

It is clear that sports and music tourism is booming and event travellers have high aspirations, presenting a huge opportunity for businesses to tap into this growing segment of travellers. In APAC, of those that travel to an event by plane, more than four-fifths (85%) have travelled for sports and 74% for music in the past three years or plan to do so in the coming 12 months. Of these travellers, over half (53%) travel more than once a year with 19% attending three or more events annually.

Spending Habits

Sports fans are the biggest spenders globally, with 57% from APAC exceeding US$500 per trip. Notably, 12% of respondents in APAC spend more than US$2,000 per trip. Globally, the 25-34 age group spends the most overall, with a third (33%) exceeding US$1,000 for sports and 31% for music events.

The typical spend for event travellers globally at airports is US$100 (44%) but this varies considerably with those travelling for basketball (30%), Formula 1 (32%) and the Olympics (31%) prepared to spend US$200 or more. As for those travelling for music, 25% are prepared to spend US$200 or above.

Over 4 in 5 (82%) of APAC sports and music fans have travelled to a new city or country to watch their favourite team or artist and of those, 28% said they have returned to these new cities / countries – with a further 31% planning to return. This presents huge economic growth opportunities for local businesses within these destinations, particularly where repeat business can be identified ahead of time. 

Passenger numbers and cargo volumes continue to grow at Frankfurt and beyond

Frankfurt Airport welcomed 6.1 million passengers in August – Load factor remains high at 86.1 percent – A total of 22.2 million passengers across Fraport’s global network of airports.

Frankfurt Airport (FRA) served some 6.1 million passengers in August 2024, a 3.7 percent increase on the same month last year. Supported by summer school vacations in Hesse and neighbouring German states, FRA surpassed the 200,000 passenger mark on a total of 13 days across the month. By comparison, the 200,000 figure was exceeded on only five days in August 2023. Travel demand was particularly high for European holiday destinations in Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Greece. Meanwhile, intercontinental traffic at Germany’s largest aviation gateway saw particularly strong growth for China (up 48.5 percent year-on-year), India (up 36.5 percent), and Singapore (up 14.5 percent). Traffic to and from the Middle East, in contrast, fell by 25.8 percent year-on-year, driven by the tense security situation in the region.

Compared with pre-Covid levels, FRA’s passenger numbers last month remained around 12.1 percent lower than in August 2019.1

Cargo throughput, including both airfreight and airmail, surged by 10.1 percent year-on-year to 172,718 metric tons in August 2024. The number of aircraft movements edged up by 1.1 percent to 40,359 takeoffs and landings, while maximum takeoff weights (or MTOWs) climbed by 2.6 percent year-on-year to approximately 2.5 million metric tons.

Most airports in Fraport’s international portfolio also recorded passenger growth last month. Slovenia’s Ljubljana Airport (LJU) registered a 13.8 percent increase to 166,593 passengers. In contrast, the two Brazilian airports of Fortaleza (FOR) and Porto Alegre (POA) experienced significant declines, with combined figures falling by 49.5 percent year-on-year to 600,187 passengers. The drop was mainly due to the suspension of flight operations at POA since May 3 as a result of the heavy flooding in the Port Alegre region. Currently, a contingency schedule is in place for POA, with only a limited number of domestic flights being operated from a nearby military base. Elsewhere in Latin America, some 2.2 million passengers travelled via Peru’s Lima Airport (LIM) in August 2024, a notable increase of 11.4 percent compared to the same month last year. Fraport’s 14 Greek regional airports reported passenger growth of 6.1 percent year-on-year, with a total of 6.5 million travellers. In Bulgaria, the Fraport Twin Star airports of Burgas (BOJ) and Varna (VAR) saw a 4.1 percent year-on-year decline in combined traffic, to 801,868 passengers. On the Turkish Riviera, however, traffic at Antalya Airport (AYT) increased slightly by 0.2 percent year-on-year to around 5.8 million passengers.

Total passenger numbers at all airports actively managed by Fraport rose by 1.0 percent year-on-year to about 22.2 million passengers in August 2024.

 

¹  The Fraport Traffic Figures for the last ten years can be found in our digital TrafficSheet. The tool can be used to compare various traffic data by different categories
Monthly Traffic Results Frankfurt Airport PDF, August 2024     271 KB (fraport.com)

NASA selects Lockheed Martin to develop lightning mapper for NOAA

NASA, on behalf of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has selected Lockheed Martin Corp. of Littleton, Colorado, to develop a lightning mapping instrument as part of NOAA’s Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) satellite program.

This cost-plus-award-fee contract is valued at approximately $297.1 million. It includes the development of two flight instruments as well as options for two additional units. The anticipated period of performance for this contract includes support for 10 years of on-orbit operations and five years of on-orbit storage, for a total of 15 years for each flight model. The work will take place at Lockheed Martin’s facilities in Sunnyvale, California, and Littleton, Colorado, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The GeoXO Lightning Mapper will detect, locate, and measure the intensity, duration, and extent of lightning flashes. The instrument will continue critical observations provided by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites-R (GOES-R) Series Geostationary Lightning Mapper. Data from Lightning Mapper will be used to analyze severe storms, increase warning lead time for hazardous weather, and provide earlier indications of impending lightning strikes to the ground. The data will also be used for hurricane intensity prediction, wildfire detection and response, precipitation estimation, and to mitigate aviation hazards.

Forecasters need lightning information from geostationary orbit because the data are available where other sources are more limited, especially over oceans and in mountainous and rural areas. The data are also available more frequently than local radar and fill in radar coverage gaps.

Strong growth in passengers, starts and landings at Munich

At the end of the Bavarian summer holidays, Munich Airport has reported strong traffic figures: 6.2 million passengers used the airport in the past six weeks, ten percent more than in the previous year. 

The peak day was Sunday, September 1st – on that day 143,000 passengers passed through Munich Airport. The high demand for air travel was also reflected in the load factor of the aircraft: This was 86 percent during the holidays - an absolute record value. During the holiday season, airlines carried out 46,000 takeoffs and landings in Munich – an increase of 7.6 percent compared with the number of flights during the previous year's summer vacation.

In terms of passenger volume, the airport thus reaches 91 percent of the record year 2019. With regard to intercontinental travellers, the 2019 figures were exceeded by 14 percent on flights to North America. The number of passengers travelling to and from Mediterranean countries reached pre-crisis levels during the 2024 summer holidays.

In Terminal 2, which is used by Lufthansa and its partner airlines, the number of passengers during the holiday season exceeded the pre-crisis level for the first time on 19 days.

New Airbus Helicopters facility opens at London Oxford Airport

Airbus Helicopters' new facility at London Oxford Airport has been officially opened with the help of a former RAF Rescue helicopter and air ambulance pilot - HRH The Prince of Wales.

Prince William is the Royal Patron of London's Air Ambulance and spent quite some time working as an East Anglian Air Ambulance pilot between 2015 and 2017, surprised many by his appearance at the event. The Prince was there in a personal capacity and was shown around a newly delivered Airbus H135 helicopter which is all set to operate for London Air Ambulance later this month. 

The casually dressed Prince chatted to workers, reminisced about his time as a pilot, and confided that he missed his time going up in the air and said he'd "love to fly again."

The new facility has room for 32 helicopters and will be the home of around 250 employees, a major boost to the local community. 

After 50 years, the F100 is going hypersonic

It’s sleek and shimmering, gliding through sun-tinted clouds. It’s moving at nearly four times the speed of sound – faster than the famous SR-71 Blackbird, which set the airspeed record some 50 years ago.

Its name is Quarterhorse, its mission is to be the world’s first high-Mach autonomous aircraft, and its creator is the U.S. startup company Hermeus.

But powering the futuristic aircraft and its ambitious goals is an engine familiar to aviation enthusiasts – the Pratt & Whitney F100.

Rather than build a new engine, Hermeus will use a modified F100, a propulsion system with 30 million flight hours and a track record aboard the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Falcon, which celebrates 50 years of flight in 2024.

Now, the engine is looking toward its next 50 years.

“Fifty years of life combined with the opportunity to remain in service for another 50 years is something that’s unique,” said Josh Goodman, senior director of the F100 program. “Pratt likes to do hard things, and utilizing the F100 in this solution gives us the opportunity to once again go solve hard problems.”

But first, Hermeus must prove its Chimera turbine-based combined cycle engine, which will use the F100 as its gas turbine, can achieve hypersonic speeds for Darkhorse, an uncrewed multi-mission military aircraft that would fly through contested environments at Mach 5+.

Then, it will build its third aircraft, Halcyon, a 20-passenger commercial aircraft that would make the New York-Paris flight with a yet-to-be-determined engine.

“People see it as ambitious, a little crazy,” said A.J. Piplica, Hermeus’ co-founder and CEO, “but also highly grounded in rational, realistic roadmaps to get there.”

The F100 will appear in the third prototype of Quarterhorse in 2025, where it will help the vehicle surpass Mach 2.5. Then, in the fourth prototype, it will help solve an especially hard problem called mode transition, which is when the propulsion system switches from turbo to ramjet during flight.

Here’s how they’ll do it.

The Chimera engine works a little like a car’s manual transmission system, but rather than changing gears to go faster, the engine changes propulsion systems.

For speeds up to about Mach 2, the Chimera engine will use a turbine propulsion system, where an engine creates thrust by taking in air, compressing it and igniting it. For anything faster, it switches to its ramjet system, which needs no compressor because the air around it is already moving so fast.

Something called a precooler – a clever way of getting more performance out of the turbine engine – will help the two systems work together. By lowering the temperature of the air it takes in, the precooler gives the turbine more headroom to work harder and get the aircraft up to higher speeds.

Hermeus has already completed two major milestones by proving mode transition and precooler technologies in separate lab-based tests.

A330 MRTT: the evolution of the world's leading air-to-air refuelling tanker

With more than 300,000 flight hours and 15 customers worldwide, the A330 Multi Role Transport Aircraft (MRTT) is more than just a tanker. From pioneering automatic refuelling to taking connectivity to the next level, here are ten facts about the aircraft that help keep it ahead of the game.

1. Ready for mission

With ten operators and 15 user nations, the A330 Multi Role Transport Aircraft (MRTT) fleet has accumulated more than 300,000 flight hours. This operational readiness is reflected in the fact that the Airbus tanker is approved to refuel more than 25 different aircraft receivers, either using the hose and drogue or boom refuelling systems, or the fuselage refuelling unit for large probe-equipped aircraft such as the A400M. With a market share of over 90% (outside the US), the A330 MRTT has been ordered by launch customer Australia , France, NATO’s Multinational MRTT Fleet (MMF), Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Spain and Canada. A total of 82 aircraft have been sold to date.

2. Automatic refuelling, day and night!

The A330 MRTT features pioneering advances such as fly-by-wire control for the refuelling boom, and a high-resolution 2D/3D digital system that improves visibility for refuelling operators.  Together with the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), Airbus launched the SMART MRTT project a few years ago. This saw  the world's first automatic air-to-air refuelling (A3R) using the boom system, with certification for daytime operations achieved in 2022. 

In July this year, Airbus continued the development by conducting more than 500 night automatic refuelling tests, which should enable certification for night operations by early next year. The RSAF is already using the A3R's groundbreaking daytime refuelling capability. Other operators are expected to follow.

3. The transition to the A330 MRTT+

Airbus is preparing a new major evolution of the tanker, through the A330 MRTT+ programme. The A330-200 baseline aircraft will be replaced by the A330neo (A330-800). The main changes are to the wings and engines, while the passenger cabin will also be improved. These aerodynamic and propulsion improvements are expected to reduce the aircraft's fuel burn by up to 8%, allowing for more range and/or offload capacity. Furthermore, Airbus is working at expanding the connectivity of the A330 MRTT, turning the tanker into a battlefield communications node. Following a development phase, the A330 MRTT+ is expected to be introduced to customers in the coming years.

4. Towards fully autonomous operations

Airbus is exploring further automation that would allow the tanker to control the aircraft being refuelled, with or without a crew. The  18-month Auto'Mate campaign tested a technology demonstrator designed to explore and develop Autonomous Assets Air-to-Air Refuelling (A4R) and Autonomous Formation Flight (AF2) operations. The idea is to automate the entire refuelling process. This entails tankers autonomously guiding a 'receiver' aircraft into position, followed by fuel transfer and safe separation. Auto'Mate paves the way for in-flight refuelling of non-piloted combat aircraft such as drones, as well as reusing technologies in remote carrier and ‘wingman' operations - key unmanned elements of Europe's Future Combat Air System (FCAS).

Airbus used its A310 MRTT for the Auto'Mate flight campaign. Over the years, the company has used this flying testbed for air-to-air refuelling developments and in-house innovative projects, such as the A330 MRTT boom refuelling system. The boom introduced new technologies such as electric actuators, a hoist, flight controls, a high-resolution digital vision system and new capabilities such as a fuel flow rate of 1200 US gallons per minute, dual redundancy and envelope protection.  

5. Enabling air power projection 

This summer, the A330 MRTT joined forces with other Airbus military aircraft to play a crucial role in the Pacific Skies 24 major overseas joint airlift. France, Singapore, the UK and the German-led Multinational MRTT Unit (MMU) all relied on the aircraft for logistical support, in addition to its primary tanker role. 

Indeed, the MRTT's air-to-air refuelling capability has been a driving force behind the air forces' air power projection in recent years. The French Air and Space Force's annual long-range Pégase mission in the Indo-Pacific region in 2021 saw frontline fighters fly 17,000 km to Polynesia in 48 hours, while the Royal Air Force's Mobility Guardian exercise in 2023 saw an A400M make the longest flight ever undertaken by a propeller aircraft: a non-stop journey of over 11,000 km to the Pacific island of Guam. Both record flights were supported by in-flight refuelling from the A330 MRTT. 

U.S. Air Force awards Reliable Robotics a multi-year contract for dual-use advanced aircraft automation

Reliable Robotics, announced the award of an Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract leveraging the company’s dual-use technology to provide advanced automation to United States Air Force (USAF) airlift and refueling aircraft. The flexible IDIQ contract will span multiple years, and advance the development, production and deployment of Reliable’s autonomous flight system. The contract is also a vehicle for AFWERX and Reliable Robotics to explore partnerships with other branches of the military and combatant commands to scale and transition Reliable’s advanced automation technologies for specific use cases.

In its quest to develop innovative logistics capabilities, with a focus on the Indo-Pacific, the USAF is seeking commercial technologies like Reliable’s autonomous flight system to enable longer duration operations in contested environments while increasing safety and reducing demands for aircrews and lowering procurement costs.

“Aircraft autonomy is a mission critical capability for the Department of the Air Force. This IDIQ contract is driven by demand from Air Mobility Command, Air Combat Command, Pacific Air Forces and commands that want to employ advanced aircraft automation in their fleets as soon as possible,” said Lt Col Josh Fehd, AFWERX Autonomy Prime Branch Chief.

Houston Airports moves forward in voluntary global program that strives to mitigate airport carbon emissions

In a proactive commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility, Bush and Hobby Airports achieved Level 2 of the ACI Airport Carbon Accreditation program.

Airports Council International (ACI) announced that George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) achieved Level 2 of the Airport Carbon Accreditation program.

Houston Airports is committed to carbon neutrality by 2030 and has already begun implementing several sustainable initiatives, including the transition to an all-electric fleet of vehicles, solar panels, LED lighting, and thoughtful upgrades to airport terminals.

ACI Airport Carbon Accreditation is the only carbon management certification standard for airports. It is the only voluntary global carbon management standard that helps airports to manage and reduce their carbon footprint. The program is focused primarily on CO2 emissions and offers a common framework for airports to analyze and identify carbon-intensive activities. It is site-specific and can be used by airports to plan daily and long-term sustainability strategies through continuous improvement and stakeholder partnerships.

"Reaching ACA Level 2 at Bush and Hobby airports represents a significant milestone in our journey toward a more sustainable future for Houston Airports. This achievement reflects our ongoing commitment to reducing our carbon footprint and making substantial, data-driven progress in environmental stewardship," said Jim Szczesniak, Director of Aviation for Houston Airports. "As we advance through the levels of carbon accreditation, we remain dedicated to implementing sustainable practices that not only benefit our community today but also secure a cleaner, greener future for future generations."