The Indian Ocean Island of Madagascar is proud home to two airports that are making good progress in improving their environmental sustainability.
Antananarivo and Nosy Be Airports in Madagascar, have met all the requirements to upgrade to Level 2 Reduction within the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme.
CARBON MANAGEMENT AT MADAGASCAR AIRPORTS
The two airports operated by Ravinala Airports joined the programme in March 2023 and have since demonstrated a remarkable commitment to carbon management.Â
This level requires airports to demonstrate effective carbon management practices, including setting targets and achieving significant reductions in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions.
CARBON EMISSIONS
Emissions have been classified into three categories. These are as follows:
Scope 1Â covers emissions from sources that an organisation owns or controls directly. For example, from burning fuel through a fleet of aircraft or vehicles.
Scope 2 refers to emissions that a company causes indirectly and come from where the energy it purchases and uses is produced. For example, the emissions caused when generating the electricity used in buildings.
Scope 3 covers emissions that are not produced by a company itself and are not the result of activities from assets owned or controlled by it, but by those that it is indirectly responsible for in the value chain. An example of this is when buying, using and disposing of products from suppliers.
MADAGASCAR AIRPORTS AT LEVEL 2
Initiatives that propelled the two airports to Level 2 include the construction of new wastewater treatment plants and the installation of hydrocarbon separators to reduce pollution.
Additional efforts in improving air quality, enhancing noise monitoring, and upgrading waste management practices underscore a dedication to reducing their environmental footprint.
ANTANANARIVO AIRPORT
Ivato International Airport, opened on March 4, 1931, is the most important in Madagascar and serves its capital, Antananarivo.
It handles domestic flights and international destinations from Africa and Europe.
Operating airlines include Air Austral, Air France, Airlink, Air Madagascar, Air Mauritius, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, Turkish Airlines and Tsaradia.
NOSY BE AIRPORT
Fascene International Airport is located on the island of Nosy Be, just off the northwest coast of Madagascar.
Fascene Airport is the second largest airport in Madagascar. The airport offers non-stop passenger flights to 10 destinations in 7 countries. At present, there are 2 domestic flights from Nosy Be.
Since Nosy Be is one of the most developed tourism destinations in Madagascar, the airport is one of the busiest in the country.
Air Austral, Air Madagascar, Airlink, Ethiopian Airlines, Ewa Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Neos and Tsaradia operate flights.
MADAGASCAR TOURISM
The country noted an encouraging rise in tourists over the last year, though the figures are still below the recorded levels from 2019.
In 2019, before the pandemic 25,068 international visitors travelled to Madagascar, the ministry said.
Improved efforts are needed for Madagascar to achieve its ambitious target of 400,000 tourists by the end of the year.
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BOOSTING DOMESTIC TOURISM
According to the Madagascar Tourism Confederation, this will involve scaling up domestic air services.
These are reportedly suffering from a lack of aircraft to meet the rising for internal flights.
Also essential is the rehabilitation of Madagascar’s road infrastructure and access routes to tourist areas.
Azad News Agency reports a boom and an encouraging trend in domestic tourism. Â
Data shows that in 2020, the number of domestic visitors was 12,018. This number rose to 46,965 in 2022 and then increased to 63,897 in 2023.
