Paris-Orly Achieves Airport Carbon Accreditation Level 5

Paris-Orly Achieves Airport Carbon Accreditation Level 5, Marking a New Milestone in Airport Decarbonisation

• The
  Paris airport is reported to have reached the highest level of the
  international Airport Carbon Accreditation programme, following a 92%
  reduction in emissions from its own activities compared with 2010.

AeroMorning – John Smith – October 13, 2026

Paris-Orly reaches the highest level of Airport Carbon
Accreditation

Paris-Orly Airport has obtained Level 5 of Airport Carbon
Accreditation (ACA), the highest level of the international carbon-management
certification programme for airports, according to reports published on October
13, 2026.

Paris-Orly has reduced emissions associated with its own
activities by 92% compared with 2010. The airport has also achieved carbon
neutrality for its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions five years ahead of its
original schedule, while maintaining an objective of reaching net-zero
emissions across its entire value chain by 2050.

An airport can achieve ACA Level 5 by meeting the
requirements for Scopes 1 and 2, without having eliminated its Scope 3
emissions, as the certification requires a commitment to reducing them through
a structured approach, rather than their immediate elimination.

The achievement places Paris-Orly among a growing group of
airports worldwide that have adopted more comprehensive approaches to carbon
management, extending beyond emissions directly controlled by airport operators
to include emissions generated throughout their wider value chains.

What does Airport Carbon Accreditation Level 5 mean?

Airport Carbon Accreditation is an international programme
established by Airports Council International Europe (ACI EUROPE) in 2009. It
provides an independently assessed framework for airports to measure, manage
and progressively reduce their carbon emissions.

The programme has seven accreditation levels: Mapping,
Reduction, Optimisation, Neutrality, Transformation, Transition and Level 5.

Level 5 represents the programme’s most advanced
accreditation level. It requires airports to demonstrate substantial reductions
in emissions under their control, address residual emissions through carbon
removals, and commit to achieving net-zero emissions across their value chain
by 2050 or earlier.

The distinction between an airport’s direct emissions and
its wider carbon footprint is particularly important.

• Scope
  1 covers direct emissions from sources controlled by the airport operator,
  such as fuel combustion in its own buildings, vehicles and equipment.
• Scope
  2 covers indirect emissions associated with purchased electricity, heating
  and cooling.
• Scope
  3 includes other indirect emissions throughout the airport’s value chain,
  including activities by airlines, ground-handling companies, suppliers and
  surface-transport providers.

An airport achieving Level 5 is therefore not claiming that
every aircraft using its runways operates without emissions. Rather, the
certification recognises progress in reducing and managing the airport’s own
emissions while addressing the broader environmental impact of its activities.

How Paris-Orly has reduced its emissions

According to the reports published on October 13,
Paris-Orly’s progress has involved several operational and energy-related
measures.

Lower energy consumption

In 2025, the airport reduced its electricity consumption by
approximately 16% compared with 2019, while heat consumption fell by around
35%.

These reductions were attributed to measures including the
modernisation of equipment and lighting, adjustments to heating and
air-conditioning settings, and improvements to ventilation management.

Reducing energy demand is particularly important because it
lowers the amount of electricity and heat that the airport must procure or
generate, complementing the decarbonisation of its energy supply.

A greater share of renewable heat

Renewable sources reportedly accounted for 87% of the heat
consumed at Paris-Orly in 2025.

These sources included geothermal energy, heat pumps and the
recovery of otherwise wasted heat. Guarantees of origin for biomethane were
also used to cover part of the airport’s natural-gas consumption.

The combination of lower demand and lower-carbon energy
sources has contributed to the reported reduction in the airport’s operational
emissions.

Lower-carbon vehicles and construction

Paris-Orly is also progressively replacing conventional
vehicles with electric alternatives and using lower-carbon fuels for equipment
that cannot readily be electrified, such as certain snow-removal vehicles.

Construction and infrastructure projects form another part
of the airport’s environmental strategy. The ongoing refurbishment of Runway 4,
for example, aims to recycle close to 90% of the materials arising from
demolition, including concrete and asphalt.

The airport also plans to develop its production and use of
solar energy.

Addressing emissions beyond the airport operator

Scope 3 emissions are a more complex challenge because they
arise from activities that the airport operator does not directly control.

Paris-Orly’s reported priorities include encouraging
airlines to increase their use of sustainable aviation fuels, improving
public-transport connections for passengers and employees, and reducing
aircraft emissions during taxiing.

These measures illustrate the distinction between
decarbonising airport infrastructure and reducing the environmental impact of
aviation as a whole.

Other major airports worldwide holding ACA Level 5

Paris-Orly is joining an international group of airports
that have reached the programme’s highest level. The official Airport Carbon
Accreditation directory lists airports across Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle
East and other regions.

The following selection includes some international airports
and other notable airports whose ACA Level 5 status appears in the programme’s
directory. It is not an exhaustive list, and accreditation status can change.

Best US airports are reaching scope 4+ according to ACI
Europe

This selection shows that Level 5 is not restricted to the
world’s largest international hubs. It includes major metropolitan airports,
regional gateways and airports serving smaller or geographically isolated
communities.

What about Paris-Charles de Gaulle?

Paris-Orly’s reported achievement should not be confused
with the accreditation status of Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG).

In the Airport Carbon Accreditation directory consulted for
this article, Paris-Charles de Gaulle is listed at Level 4, while Paris-Orly is
listed at Level 5. Paris-Le Bourget is also listed separately, at Level 4.

This distinction matters because accreditation is assigned
to individual airports, even when they are operated by the same group. Progress
at one airport does not automatically mean that the operator’s entire network
has reached the same level.

Groupe ADP’s broader environmental strategy nevertheless
aims to reduce emissions across its activities and value chain, with a net-zero
objective for 2050.

The limits of airport carbon accreditation

Although ACA Level 5 represents an important milestone in
airport carbon management, it does not mean that an airport has eliminated all
emissions associated with aviation.

Aircraft remain a major source of emissions, and their fuel
consumption depends on factors such as aircraft technology, flight distance,
load factors, operational procedures and the fuels used.

Airports can influence some of these factors through infrastructure,
operational coordination, surface access and incentives for lower-carbon
aviation fuels. However, they cannot independently control all airline
operations or the full lifecycle emissions of aviation.

The Scope 3 challenge is therefore central to the next phase
of airport decarbonisation. Reducing the emissions of airport buildings and
vehicles is only part of the task; progress must also extend to airlines,
ground operations, suppliers and passenger access.

The value of Level 5 lies in combining substantial
reductions in directly controlled emissions with a more comprehensive strategy
for the airport’s wider environmental footprint.

Conclusion: a milestone for Paris-Orly, but not the end
of the journey

The reported achievement of ACA Level 5 marks a significant
step in Paris-Orly’s decarbonisation strategy. The 92% reduction in emissions
from its own activities compared with 2010, together with the reported early
achievement of carbon neutrality for Scopes 1 and 2, demonstrates the
importance of energy efficiency, lower-carbon heating, vehicle electrification
and operational improvements.

The next challenge is to continue reducing emissions across
the airport’s entire value chain, particularly by encouraging the use of
sustainable aviation fuels, improving public transport, and reducing emissions
from ground operations (Scope 3).

Paris-Orly’s progress also reflects a broader international
trend: airports are increasingly being assessed not only on their own energy
consumption and direct emissions, but also on their ability to influence the
environmental impact of the aviation ecosystem around them.

The essential distinction remains that ACA Level 5
recognises advanced airport carbon management and a commitment to value-chain
decarbonisation. It does not certify that the airport, or the aircraft using
it, is entirely emissions-free.