International Airport Review
Holly Miles
15 September 2025
With over three decades at Zurich Airport, Emanuel Fleuti has witnessed the evolution of sustainability from a fringe concern to a core strategic pillar. As the airport’s long-serving environmental lead, he brings continuity, context and conviction to Zurich’s decarbonisation journey. He shares more with Holly Miles.
Zurich Airport’s (ZRH) environmental strategy centres on eliminating unnecessary combustion processes across the airfield. “We have fixed ground power and pre-conditioned air for aircraft, and we have battery-powered GSE and vehicles to reduce the combustion emissions,” says Emanuel.
One of Zurich’s boldest moves, however, dates back to the mid 1990s, when it introduced an emission-related landing fee. “Aircraft that did not have the latest engine technology had to pay more on a surcharge,” he explains. “That motivated not just the airlines, but also the engine manufacturers to redesign engines and come up with cleaner technologies.”
This was a progressive move back then, as the idea of polluter-pays pricing was not widespread in aviation at the time...
Zurich Airport's long-term approach to sustainability - International Airport Review - 15 Sept 2025
