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Energy savings at the Juan Santamaría Airport is equivalent to the monthly electricity consumption of more than 1,200 homes.  

• AIJS is a pioneer in Latin America and the Caribbean in international energy efficiency certifications.
• Beyond the certification, other actions are contemplated for 2023, such as the acquisition of 4 electric vehicles.

May, 2023. The commitment of AERIS, the interested manager of the Juan Santamaría International Airport (AIJS), to ensure that the country’s main air terminal operates in a sustainable manner resulted in a reported saving in electricity consumption of 263,375 kilowatt hours (kWh) in 2022 with respect to the previous year.

The impact of the reduction is such that this amount of kWh is equivalent to the monthly electricity consumption of about 1,200 homes in Costa Rica, according to AERIS calculations based on the National Energy Balance 2020.

“At AERIS we are committed to making the operation of the country’s main air terminal sustainable, which is why our Energy Management system is aligned with that objective. This consumption reduction result is due to the implementation of a series of actions for environmental sustainability, we are pleased to report that in 2022 we will exceed our energy performance goals,” said Ricardo Hernandez, CEO of AERIS.

The awareness of energy use carries over into innovations at AIJS. For example, the new commercial building was inaugurated last year, and it was planned to minimize its impact on energy consumption as much as possible, so that in the end it did not impact against the reduction goals.

This was made possible by actions such as optimizing the condensing temperature of the chiller located in the powerhouse, changing the lighting in the international terminal rooms, and raising awareness among stakeholders so that they would be responsible consumers of this resource.

This work earned AERIS and AIJS the Green Airport Recognition in 2022 from the Airports Council International – Latin America and Caribbean (ACI-LAC), which validates the commitment of AERIS and AIJS to sustainability and energy efficiency.

Enduring responsibility. The results obtained are intended to be sustainable over time, since as of 2021 Juan Santamaría International Airport is the only airport member of ACI-LAC to hold ISO 50001 certification; a standard that guarantees the organization’s good practices and quality standards achieved in energy management at the airport’s facilities.

In order to prepare itself to reach more milestones, AERIS anticipates that this year it will also work on the installation of sensors in the LED lamps in the Lobby and on changing the lighting fixtures in the main ramp and in the arrivals area.

AERIS Holding Costa Rica constantly analyzes the significant impacts of its operation and focuses resources and efforts to contribute to the achievement of 8 of the 17 SDGs.

These results are tangible evidence of the positive impact of AERIS on Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible Production and Consumption and Goal 13: Climate Action. We are not complacent as we aim to have a 3% improvement in energy management by December 2024 and we hope that this will be a source of inspiration at the country level, as we believe that energy efficiency is a key development tool as it not only generates economic savings, but also an environmental and social impact,” said Adriana Bejarano, head of Environment, Health and Safety at AERIS.

Parallel action. In other measures aligned with energy efficiency and carbon footprint reduction, the recent acquisition of four electric cars to be used in the Operations, Maintenance and Warehouse areas stands out.

They correspond to the CHOK-G2, a model that, in addition to reducing carbon dioxide emissions, has an electrical consumption of only 13 kWh per 100 km. With respect to the time it takes to fully charge, it is estimated at 8 to 10 hours.

To further measure its carbon footprint, a GPS will be installed in each car to measure its performance, hours of use, and other relevant figures so that, with the results obtained, comparisons can be made of its environmental impact with respect to internal combustion vehicles.

“It is a reflection of the sustainable operating perspective that we have, and that we share with our parent company, Grupo CCR. It represents a solution at the operational level for our AERIS people in the coverage of daily tasks, but also in terms of sustainable mobility, which contributes to energy savings and the environment; the latter goes beyond being a good practice that has been adopted by major airports worldwide, but is also a contribution to the country’s vision of moving towards zero emissions”,

Hernández added.

The vehicles purchased have a range of 100 km per charge and have a capacity for 4 people.

About AERIS Costa Rica

AERIS HOLDING COSTA RICA is a company of the CCR Group, which operates under the management model interested in the Juan Santamaría International Airport (AIJS), being in charge of its operation, maintenance, rehabilitation, construction, financing and promotion.

The company seeks to exceed the expectations of its stakeholder management contract in a transversal manner to sustainability, generating social, environmental and economic value. AERIS is committed to providing a “Pura Vida” travel experience for passengers transiting through the main gateway to the country and to generate positive impact to Costa Rica and its stakeholders.

AERIS draws on the experience of its parent companies: HAS Development Corporation and Grupo CCR of Brazil, the latter as the main shareholder and with stakes in the international airports of Quito Ecuador, Curacao and Belo Horizonte in Brazil.

It currently connects Costa Rica with 36 destinations around the world, through 25 international commercial airlines and two domestic airlines that operate in its facilities.