Stuttgart Airport will receive a €44 million loan from the European Investment Bank to help fund a wider investment programme of up to €111 million to modernise infrastructure and cut emissions.
The funding will support projects including the purchase of around 100 electric commercial vehicles used for ground handling — the work carried out on the apron such as moving equipment and servicing aircraft — along with new charging facilities, the EIB informed on Friday.
The loan will also pay for a new workshop building to maintain the electric vehicles, as well as a new fire station.
Another element is the installation of Pre-Conditioned Air (PCA) systems, which provide heated or cooled air to parked aircraft so crews can avoid using onboard auxiliary power units.
Once the PCA project is completed, Stuttgart Airport expects on-site CO₂ emissions to fall by about 1,500 tonnes a year within Scope 3 of its carbon footprint.
Focus on modernisation rather than expansion
The EIB said the loan forms part of its wider support for modernising and decarbonising existing airport infrastructure across Europe, including electrifying ground handling, expanding charging and energy infrastructure and improving energy efficiency.
The bank stated that it is focusing its airport financing on measures that reduce emissions and update infrastructure, rather than increasing airport capacity.
Stuttgart Airport said its STRzero climate strategy targets cutting greenhouse gas emissions from airport operations — Scope 1 and 2 under the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, which cover direct emissions and those from purchased energy — to a minimum by 2040 at the latest.
Part of the project is also funded through the EU’s Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility programme, which supports the rollout of infrastructure for alternatives to fossil fuels.
