SOF Connect, the operator of Sofia Airport, is now certified with Level 4 under the Airport Carbon Management and Reduction Accreditation Programme. Sofia Airport is the first airport in Bulgaria with Airport Carbon Accredited Level IV – Transformation accreditation, which only 8 other airports in Europe have (Istanbul’s new airport; Paris – Charles de Gaulle, Bourget and Orly; Marseille; Zurich; London- Luton and Basel). Accreditation is determined by the European airport association ACI EUROPE. The highest rating is Level 5 accreditation.
“Sustainable development is the top priority for SOF Connect. This assessment confirms the company’s commitment to the implementation of the ESG strategy and the reduction of its carbon footprint in line with global climate goals. The accreditation is the result of the focused efforts and commitment of the entire Sofia Airport team and demonstrates our determination to achieve full carbon neutrality by 2036.” said Jesus Caballero, CEO of SOF Connect.
The company achieved the acreditation with the important contribution of Munich Airport International. It consisted of the calculations of full flight emissions, carbon reduction potential of decarbonization measures and carbon trajectory, as well as the adaptation to Level 4 requirements and the preparation of Carbon Management Plan and Stakeholder Partnership Plan.
„We are proud of SOF Connect´s newest achievement. We would like to thank Jesus Caballero for his vision and pursuit in making SOF a great airport and to the team for their relentless commitment to the same. A big shout-out goes to deserves the team of Antoaneta Stoyanova – ESG Director at SOF Connect and Michael Obermaier who worked together, making such achievement possible, showing the strength of the long-standing partnership between SOF Connect and Munich Airport International.“, said Lorenzo Di Loreto, Managing Director MAI.
“This success was only possible due to the dedication and commitment of the team and the entire organization of SOF Connect! It was an outstanding experience to go through the process of preparing Sofia Airport to reach the second highest level in the Airport Accreditation Program. I enjoyed evry second of the project.” Said Michael Obermaier, Program Manager Sustainability & Consultant MAI.
SOF Connect’s strategic plan includes full decarbonization with 15% offsets by 2036. The airport is implementing several important initiatives to achieve this goal. It has purchased 34 electric vehicles and several hybrids, is participating in OMV’s carbon offset program to reduce emissions from auto transportation to zero, and plans to build its own and publicly accessible electric vehicle charging stations. SOF Connect is investing more than BGN 14 million to digitalize processes at the airport, which is part of the company’s ESG strategy. Key targets in the airport’s emissions reduction plan also include the construction of a solar power plant with a capacity of 20 MW with batteries to store the energy produced. It is expected to be completed by 2035 and will cover a significant part of the airport’s energy needs.