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Tenerife Sur Airport, which deals annually with over 7 million passengers, is aware of the environmental impact its activities can have on such a fragile island environment. Therefore, in line with Aena Aeropuerto's environmental policy and strategic goals in the area of environmental protection, our airport has an Environmental Management System that meets the requirements of the European Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS).

EMAS members are those companies that have implemented an environmental management system that, among other characteristics, ensures legal compliance, pollution prevention and continuous improvement of environmental conduct, including their staff in this process. Apart from the above, one of the distinctive characteristics of this model is transparency of information relating to the impact of activities and environmental conduct.

As part of the EMAS requirements, since 2003 Tenerife Sur Airport has been drawing up and publishing its Annual Environmental Declaration, endorsed by AENOR as the entity authorised to do this. The current declaration corresponds to 2010, and as with every year we seek to inform interested parties in a clear, concise and unequivocal manner regarding our environmental impact in order to for them to understand the improvement initiatives we are implementing, as well as to help us with their opinion.

Tenerife Sur is a pioneering airport in the Aena Aeropuertos network, gaining EMAS approval as the result of transparent and efficient management of the environmental system, facilitating and enhancing sustainable development through its socially-driven activities. The use of this type of management tool is voluntary, and it drives evaluation, information and continual improvement in environmental matters.

The figures obtained since April 2009, when a work group was set up with the objective of reducing electricity consumption in airport installations, confirm the benefits of the actions carried out so far. The measures adopted permit everyday activities to be carried out with the same, or even better, levels of service offered by the airport to its customers, in terms of security and quality, energy efficiency and technological development.

Notably, final figures for electricity consumption (kilowatts / hour) in the airport facilities during 2010 were 9.70 percent lower than originally estimated, thanks to the measures adopted by this work group. This substantial and significant reduction in electricity consumption not only means better civic and functional behaviour, but the active collaboration of the airport in reducing gas emissions, since this lower consumption avoids the production and emission of over a million kilogrammes of CO2 (carbon dioxide). Similarly, in the first eight months of 2011 electricity consumption was 5.20 percent higher than the same period the previous year, which is seen as a good result thanks to our commitment to the environment and to economic efficiency, taking into account that from January to August we have provided service to 5,681,300 passengers, 18.3 percent more than the previous year.

The environmental commitment taken on by Tenerife Sur airport and its example of corporate social responsibility within the AENA strategic framework are maintained through satisfactory measures that work towards sustainable development. One of the challenges for the professionals of Tenerife Sur is to continue working towards these goals and to provide their experience and management tools in collaboration with society in caring for and respecting the environment.

We are grateful for the efforts of all those who collaborated throughout last year in our endeavour to reduce the impact of the airport activities on our surroundings and we ask them to continue along these lines, so that Aena Aeropuertos can continue to fulfil its commitment to promoting actions to improve environmental conduct.

Óscar Martínez González,
Director of Tenerife Sur Airport