Airport begins work on electricity hook-up upgrade for parked planes
MIA said the initiative would save some 1,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year
Malta International Airport (MIA) has started work on a programme that will eventually allow parked planes to draw electricity directly from the national grid.
In a statement, MIA said the €12.5 million initiative would eventually save some 1,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
The project is expected to be completed by 2028.
Electricity will be supplied to planes via 35 hatch-pit systems – retractable service points that provide aircraft with electricity, compressed air, water, and fuel – eliminating the need for diesel-powered ground power units, “reducing carbon dioxide emissions significantly”.
Aprons where hatch-pit installation is not possible will instead be served by mobile battery power units connected to charging infrastructure comprising 20 charging points.
MIA said the programme would be powered by a “major upgrade” to its electrical infrastructure, including five new medium-voltage substations, two generators and an electrical network with a peak capacity of 7.5 MVA (Megavolt-Ampere).
The system will be integrated with the national grid.
The airport’s head of sustainability and analytics, Justine Baldacchino, said the investment was part of a broader roadmap to roll out low-emission technologies and expand solar power use.
“By embarking on our most ambitious project yet, we are reaffirming our commitment to address Scope 3 [indirect] emissions, while contributing to Malta’s climate targets and the wider European airport industry’s journey towards decarbonisation”.
The project is co-financed by the EU with a grant of €5.4 million distributed through the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility (AFIF), under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), which supports the decarbonisation of the European transport sector.