Queenstown Airport releases 2025 Sustainability Report

Queenstown Airport has released its 2025 Sustainability Report, showing meaningful progress on decarbonisation and broader sustainability initiatives.

“Our holistic approach to sustainability recognises that people, planet, and prosperity are intertwined,” enthused chief executive, Shane O’Hare says.

“A lot of effort is going into supporting our community, reducing our environmental impact, and improving how we operate. This report is an opportunity to pause and reflect on the measurable difference that is making.”

The report includes comprehensive climate-related disclosures and is supported by a Carbon Footprint Report, which provides an overview of the company’s greenhouse gas emissions inventory.

These show Queenstown Airport has lowered organisational emissions by 76% since the 2019 baseline and remains on track for an 85% reduction by 2028.

A significant step towards this was the upgrade of the system used to heat, cool, and ventilate the terminal. The system is now fully electric, and the diesel boiler used for preheating has been permanently decommissioned.

General manager for corporate affairs and sustainability, Sara Irvine, says another important achievement during the year was the completion of a comprehensive assessment of climate-related risks and opportunities, which is outlined in the report.

“It is vital that we operate sustainably and build long-term resilience. A key priority for us is to understand, plan, and adapt to the impacts of climate change on our business,” said Irvine.

“We also recognise the importance of fostering positive relationships and building strong connections with the people and businesses of the region we serve.”

An example of this in action is the new partnership Queenstown Airport has formed with Remarkables Station National Trust Ltd to restore native forest to a 100-hectare area of farmland at the foot of the Remarkables mountain range.

Another is the establishment of the ZQN Community Fund, which complements the airport’s longstanding partnerships programme and enables the easy distribution of smaller one-off grants to grassroots charities doing valuable work in the Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago districts.

In its inaugural year, grants totalling NZ$50,000 were awarded from the fund, which is administered by the 45South Community Foundation.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

Queenstown Airport joined ACI’s Airport Carbon Accreditation programme at the second-highest tier in 2024 and has maintained that accreditation this year.

All four sustainability targets linked to bank lending facilities have been achieved.

The airport is investing heavily in increasing electrical capacity, building a new switchroom, installing another transformer, and laying hundreds of metres of new cabling.

ZQN’s partner airlines have introduced quieter, more fuel-efficient aircraft on their Queenstown routes, which will reduce the intensity of emissions per passenger.

Six charging stations for electric ground service equipment installed in 2024 are now in regular use by all the airlines operating at Queenstown Airport.

And the airport’s on-site composting and recycling programmes have been expanded.