Airport sustainability through life cycle assessments: A systematic literature review

Abstract

AbstractAnthropogenic climate change contributes to increased frequency and intensity of droughts, wildfires, storms, coastal sea level rise, and population displacements, in addition to causing lung and cardiovascular diseases from the emission of Criteria Air Pollutants (CAPs). The aviation sector is estimated to contribute 2%–3% of global anthropogenic Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. This excludes GHG emissions from airport operation and maintenance activities due to limited research in the area. This systematic literature review examined the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) carried out by previous studies on the environmental impacts of airport operation and maintenance activities. This allows to assess existing literature on the impacts of these activities; identify knowledge gaps in LCA based on the findings of the review; and propose areas for further research and improvement in mitigating the environmental impacts of airport operation and maintenance activities. A total of 11 papers were selected for thematic analysis and narrative synthesis following a systematic review process based on the research question which yielded a total of 263 peer‐reviewed research articles and dissertations on the topic. The findings of the review showed that knowledge gaps exist in the LCA of environmental impacts of Auxiliary Power Units (APU) and Ground Support Equipment (GSE) operations in the airport during aircraft turnaround time. Further research is suggested in the use of feasible and affordable alternative energy sources (electricity, compressed natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, and hydrogen) at airports to reduce the environmental impacts associated with petrol‐ and diesel‐powered GSE and gate operations at airports.