MIA procures two electric vehicles as part of its ‘Net Zero’ Project

Mangaluru: Mangaluru International Airport has taken another step toward reducing its carbon footprint. In a first, the airport has procured two electric SUVs, a press release said.

The keys to the electric vehicles were handed over to the airport staff on July 12. They were procured in the airport’s “endeavor to become carbon neutral by 2024 and go ‘net zero’ by 2029,” the press release added.

The newly acquired e-SUVs will be used by the engineering and maintenance and the landside operations team at the airport for their routine work. The airport has also drawn up a plan to procure either an electric bus or an SUV by end of this current fiscal, it said.

Outlining the future plans, the airport leadership team said that two electrical charging stations will be operational in the parking area. “Work on setting up the charging station is nearly complete. Stakeholders – internal and others will be allowed to access this facility,” a statement from the airport spokesperson stated.

The advantage of using electric vehicles will help the airport reduce its carbon emission and thereby pare the carbon footprint that the facility generates. This switch to electric vehicles is part of a larger plan drawn by this #GatewayToGoodness to convert all its fossil fuel-driven vehicles to electric vehicles, wherever the electric vehicle option is available going forward, by March 2025, the release added.

Further, the release said that Mangaluru International Airport in procuring these electric vehicles has also carved a niche for itself among all AAHL airports in being the first airport to do so.

Each of the airports under AAHL are taking various sustainability initiatives and Mangaluru International Airport has chosen the EVs to make a statement of its commitment to green initiatives and thereby leave a green legacy for the future, the release said.