PACE

Cutting Carbon Emissions at Christchurch Airport and the role of PACE

June 11, 2025

“We’ve reduced our Scope One and Scope Two emissions by 94 per cent since we started, so we’re down now to a footprint of 280 tonnes.” That’s the milestone shared by Claire Waghorn, Sustainable Transition Leader at Christchurch Airport, which recently became one of the first airports globally to achieve Level 5 Airport Carbon Accreditation.

In a sector widely recognised as difficult to decarbonise, Christchurch’s progress stands out. It signals more than just infrastructure upgrades, it marks a strategic shift toward using data-driven carbon emissions insights from the PACE platform to accelerate airport sustainability.

Decarbonising Air Travel in Island Nations

Air travel is essential in geographically isolated countries like New Zealand and Ireland, where alternatives such as rail are limited or non-existent. But reducing aviation emissions is technically complex. Large aircraft can’t yet be electrified, and global production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is still far below what’s needed to reach net zero by 2050.

Despite this, Waghorn believes the barriers are not technical, but structural:

“These are all challenges — but none are impossibilities. What’s missing is prioritisation.”

That’s where accurate emission data becomes critical. PACE, helps airports and financiers prioritise emissions reduction by turning complex flight data into clear, actionable insights. It enables real-time tracking of aviation carbon emissions, supports strategic decision-making, and aligns stakeholders around verifiable, consistent metrics.

Targeting Carbon Emissions at Every Operational Level

Christchurch Airport has focused on the elements it can control, Scope 1 and 2 emissions, while building a long-term plan to address Scope 3.

Initiatives already in place include:

Solar development: 400 hectares dedicated to solar generation, expected to deliver 170MW far exceeding the airport’s own needs.
Fleet transition: 18 of 19 ground-support vehicles now electric, the airport fire service is adopting EVs too.
Energy efficiency: Diesel generators replaced with heat pumps across core facilities.
Hydrogen planning: A consortium with Air New Zealand is exploring SAF production using green hydrogen and captured carbon.

Each business unit is accountable for its own emissions. As Waghorn explains, decentralised responsibility has been key to sustained progress.

Addressing Scope 3 with PACE

The majority of an airport’s emissions lie in Scope 3 aircraft operations and surface access. To address this, Christchurch Airport uses PACE Airports — a platform that automatically captures flight movements and calculates emissions across all flight phases, delivering real-time Scope 3 emissions and noise data.

“PACE gives us a really sweet breakdown of who’s flying in and the granularity of their emissions. It helps us figure out how we split the homework,” says Waghorn.

With route-level and carrier-specific data, PACE supports:

Collaboration with airline partners on emissions reduction
Transparent reporting aligned to global frameworks
Long-term forecasting and sustainability planning

A Partnership Built on Shared Vision

The collaboration between Christchurch Airport and PACE is rooted in a shared commitment to innovation, data, and climate leadership.

“Christchurch Airport has always leaned into sustainability and innovation,” said Claire Waghorn, Sustainability Transition Leader. “Our strategy has always been data-driven, and PACE unlocks a new level of insight and intelligence that is really exciting for us as we continue our sustainability journey.”

Bertie Murphy, CSO of Fexco Group, echoed the alignment: “Expanding into Airports is a natural next step in the evolution of our product. We are thrilled to welcome Christchurch Airport, a global leader in sustainability, as a customer.”

The partnership marks a new chapter in how airports can optimise operations, tackle Scope 3 emissions, and lead climate action through real-time, granular data.

Learning from (and with) Ireland

Although Christchurch handles fewer passengers than Dublin, the two airports share many challenges including reliance on air travel, the limitations of current aircraft technology, and the need to decarbonise without disconnecting from the world.

The topic of passenger caps comes up often in climate discussions. Waghorn warns that these may simply displace emissions, rather than reduce them, a challenge familiar to Irish aviation stakeholders.

Meanwhile, Dublin Airport has made its own strides with solar infrastructure, though it estimates just 20% of power needs will be met by solar by 2030. The airport currently holds Level 3 ACA status, with work underway to improve ground transport sustainability and reduce operational emissions.