The Ottawa Airport Authority (the Authority) is committed to improving environmental performance and reducing the impact its operation has on the environment. The Environmental Performance Report tracks progress through the following key performance indicators.

At the same time, the annual Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report outlines progress on specific material goals that promote sustainable and ethical practices across the organization and community. 

STORMWATER QUALITY

For safety reasons, aircraft require de-icing during the winter months. The Authority monitors all stormwater property outlets for glycol and other parameters resulting from de-icing activities. 

Towards the end of December 2024, one glycol reading exceeded the acceptable limit at one property outlet. This exceedance was reported to the Ontario Spill Action Center and the City of Ottawa. The new west side storm valve was closed off to prevent further glycol exceedances. No other exceedance occurred in 2024. 

There were two major projects with respect to stormwater management. A valve was installed to mitigate any glycol contaminated water from leaving the property west of Runway 14 near River Road. The other project involved the installation of an infiltration bed at the end of Runway 07 to assist in the infiltration of stormwater there.

2025 Goals

• Monitor the effectiveness of the stormwater management upgrades.
• Continue with repairs and maintenance of the sampling stations as more components reach end of life.

Combined glycol Type I and Type IV application (in litres)

De-icing season (October to April)

2023-2024: 2,787,605
2022-2023: 3,164,868**
2021-2022: 1,626,458*
2020-2021: 516,170*
2019-2020:  3,019,859
2018-2019: 3,535,468
2017-2018: 3,551,589

*Significant decrease in air traffic due to the pandemic significantly reduced the amount of glycol used at YOW.

** Return to pre-pandemic traffic.

SPILL RESPONSE

Accidental spills typically occur due to human error or equipment malfunction, mainly during aircraft servicing. The Authority and operators work to minimize the impact when spills occur. Most spills occur on hard surfaces, and the responsible parties clean them immediately before any environmental impacts are incurred. 

In 2024, 116 spills were reported. One fuel spill entered a storm drain. This spill was reported to the authorities by the airport authority. All other spills were contained and prevented from entering the environment. 

2025 Goals

• Continue to promote employee awareness.
• Continue to promote regular equipment maintenance to reduce the number of spills.
• Continue to update the spill kit map and procedure to mitigate small and big spills.

Significant spills

Significant spills include spills entering the storm sewer, regardless of quantity, and/or when site remediation is required. Reported to Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.

2024: 1
2023: 1
2022: 0
2021: 0
2020: 0
2019: 0
2018: 0
2017: 0
2016: 1

AIRCRAFT NOISE

Although the Authority has Transport Canada-approved noise abatement procedures in place, we know that some members of the public feel that aircraft noise is a nuisance.

The Authority continues to work with the City of Ottawa to discourage non-airport compatible land uses to minimize disturbance for future residents. Despite this effort, residential development continues to be expanded in areas impacted by noise from aircraft activity.

Airside infrastructure projects can disrupt commercial aircraft traffic patterns and can impact the community. To raise awareness and mitigate impacts, the Authority notifies the community ahead of time of temporary runway closures by posting notifications on our website (YOW.ca) and on our social media platforms.

In 2024, 84 households registered 140 noise complaints compared to 86 in 2023, 97 in 2022, 146 in 2021, 87 in 2020, and 117 in 2019. The following provides a breakdown:

• 81 complaints related to commercial activities
  • 28 were from a temporary runway closure needed for infrastructure projects
• 34 Circuit-related complaints due to circuit training originating from a flying club
• 15 complaints related to helicopters
  • NRC, Ornge, Ottawa Police
• 4 complaints related to military flights
• 2 complaints related to trains
• 2 complaints related to run-ups
• 1 complaint related to a holding pattern
• 1 complaint about a drone

Only one complaint led to communications with NAV CANADA and a flying club for a reminder of the noise abatement procedures. The issue was resolved, and the incident was not repeated. 

The Authority logs all aircraft noise complaints and investigates them to ensure compliance with noise abatement procedures and the Canadian Aviation Regulations. Flight information concerning possible procedural deviations is provided to Transport Canada for investigation and enforcement purposes. 

This year, the noise management section of our website (YOW.ca) was updated to provide community members with a more in-depth understanding of the Airport Authority's role in noise management. 

We also introduced the Vortex Noise Management System to streamline data collection and reporting. This new system allows residents to submit noise complaints in one place, while also helping to identify recurring patterns and trends in reported noise complaints.

2025 Goals

• Continue to monitor and respond to noise complaints, discuss findings with residents, and identify recurring issues and solutions, where possible.
• Work with NAV CANADA and the aviation community to ensure compliance with proper procedures to minimize impacts to populated areas.

WASTE DIVERSION

The main contributor to emissions from waste sent to landfill comes from buried organic material that decomposes into methane. Methane is a significant contributor to GHG emissions and climate change. Therefore, diverting organic material from landfill abates most of the emissions, and it can be reused as compost.

In 2024, the Authority conducted a waste audit of the passenger terminal building (PTB) and the Hendrick Building to gain a better understanding of our current diversion rates and enhance our waste diversion strategies going forward. 

The audit revealed an overall diversion rate of 26%, with a diversion rate of 33% at the PTB and 50% at the Hendrick Building.

The highest contamination levels were found in public areas, both secure and ground side, primarily from organic materials such as front counter organics, lined paper cups, and paper towels, still being sent to landfill. 

*Capture rate (%): The proportion of waste correctly sorted into its designated waste stream, measured against the total waste produced for that waste stream within the given period.

Future Goals

• Increase organic waste diversion away from landfill.
• Work with our concessions to improve waste diversion rates.
• Reduce the volume of plastic waste being generated.
• Improve signage and strategize bin placement.
• Work with cleaning staff and concessionaires to implement in-house waste sorting and explore the feasibility of a waste sorting room.

HAZARDOUS WASTE

The Authority recycles hazardous waste whenever possible. In 2024, we continued to recycle hazardous waste. An electronic waste recycling program was initiated in 2023 and was refined in 2024.*  

* Following further discussions with the hazardous waste contractors, some of the previously reported values were revised to more accurately reflect the quantities of hazardous waste collected each year.

**The electronic waste program was launched in 2023 and completed in 2024. During this period, the initial waste collector reported the total weight of e-waste collected across both years as a combined figure. To ensure accurate reporting, the remaining e-waste collected in 2024 was added to the 2023 total. Moving forward, e-waste quantities (in kg) will be tracked and reported separately by year for greater transparency and precision.

*** Individual bulb, lamp or battery.

2025 Goals

• Continue to minimize and recycle hazardous waste.
• Continue to replace hazardous products with more environmental alternatives such as replacing metal halide and fluorescent bulbs with LED light bulbs.
• Implement and refine a battery recycling program.

AIRPORT CARBON ACCREDITATION

YOW joined Airports Council International’s Airport Carbon Accreditation program in 2016 and is currently at Level 3. The Authority has also embarked on Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Net-Zero Challenge and has achieved a bronze rating.

The overall roadmap to the airport’s decarbonization uses a combination of strategies. These strategies include electrification of our fleet and building heating systems. Optimization of our building systems will also reduce energy use. Renewable fuels, once available for purchase, will be used where fleet electrification is not possible. 

As of 2024, the Authority will put a pause on the purchase of carbon offsets. This decision was taken due to growing concerns about the saturation of the carbon market and the credibility around certain carbon offset programs. Instead, the Authority will find ways to direct its efforts and funding towards projects that will have more measurable and direct impacts on local carbon reduction. 

In 2024 we initiated an in-house literature review to determine the availability of renewable fuels in the Ottawa market since they are not currently available. The availability of renewable availability will have an impact on our decarbonization timeline.

The installation of vehicle charging infrastructure is continuing. Our current timeline can be summarized in the following: 

2025 Goals

• Continue to map all airport-related carbon emissions as per the Level 3 accreditation process.
• Partnering with Eco Canada through Project IGNITE to develop effective strategies for reducing emissions.
• Where feasible, reduce GHG emissions in all parts of our operations.
• Find better and local alternatives to using carbon offsets.
• Continue to collaborate with stakeholders to reduce Scope 3 emissions. 

*2019 to 2024 tCO2e values have been updated from previous years using the latest ACERT tool and more accurate data collection methods.

**Covid-19 pandemic: While the pandemic significantly reduced passenger activity, minimum operational requirements for the Airport did not change materially. As such, the emissions per 1000 passengers increased significantly. Figures should stabilize over the next years as recovery continues.

As part of our net zero efforts, the airport will only be reporting total emissions rather than relative emissions (tonnes/100 passengers) to provide greater transparency with the public. This approach presents a challenge, given the forecasted expansion of the airport’s operations, while simultaneously pursuing ways to reduce GHG emissions. This method of reporting will better reflect the airport’s overall environmental impact. However, at first glance, it may not highlight the decrease in emissions per passenger, which would have been more significant if not for the efforts taken to reduce direct GHG emissions.

VEHICLE EFFICIENCY

The Authority’s vehicle fleet includes various equipment types; from small hand-held equipment to light-duty fleet vehicles, all the way to large industrial 1000 HP snow blowers. Fuel consumption varies considerably depending on the vehicle and its intended use, and the duration and severity of winter weather events. To aid in lowering fuel consumption and emissions, the Authority has a strict “no idling” policy that dictates that vehicles not in use are to be turned off and plugged in where applicable. The Authority also aims to replace all internal combustion engines (ICEs) with electric or low-emitting fuel alternatives, as part of its Net Zero Plan. Once renewable fuels are available in the Ottawa area, they will be an integral part of reducing our emissions. 

In 2024 the Authority expanded its vehicle charging infrastructure. This expansion not only includes charging infrastructure for our Authority fleet but also includes charging opportunities for our ground support contractors and the general public. 

Fuel use (in litres)

2024: 396,337
2023: 458,807
2022: 442,069
2021: 353,090 
2020: 452,969
2019: 666,140
2018: 721,472
2017: 641,254
2016: 698,257

2025 Goals

• Revise the “no idling” policy with staff and stakeholders.
• Reduce consumption by continuing to research technology that improves efficiency.
• Maintain a proactive maintenance schedule, enhancing the fleet’s overall efficiency.
• Replace each end-of-life vehicle or equipment with a low-emitting alternative, if feasible. 

BUILDING EFFICIENCY

Electricity

As we move away from fossil fuels, electricity use is expected to increase significantly in the future due to the electrification of heating systems and the adoption of electric vehicles. 

Electricity use (in GW/h)

2024: 23.3
2023: 23.6
2022: 22.2
2021: 19.7
2020: 20.4
2019: 26.2
2018: 25.1
2017: 27.7
2016: 27.8

2025 Goals

• Continue to retrofit lighting to LED.
• Continue to monitor the Building Automation system (BAS) optimization program.

Water

Water use varies yearly based on factors such as passenger volume and weather. In 2024, water use for the airport was 76,355 m3. 

Water consumption (in m3)

2024: 76,355
2023: 66,267
2022: 63,156
2021: 29,366
2020: 36,255
2019: 75,627
2018: 83,692
2017: 79,483
2016: 83,030

2025 Goals

• Review water fixture ratings to start benchmarking water use.
• Follow WaterSense recommendations for maximum water fixture ratings for future repairs and retrofits.
• Investigate systems to monitor water usage and implement a water leak detection procedure.

Natural gas

Natural gas has an emission factor of 1.89 kg/m3 of CO2e. It is used almost exclusively for heating buildings, and a natural gas fueled emergency power generator will also be installed in the near future. In 2023, the Authority started a Building Automation System (BAS) optimization program. Results are anticipated to reduce our natural gas consumption by 30% over the year, which translates to an emission reduction in the order of 900 tCO2e.

Natural gas use (in m3)

2024: 979,229
2023: 1,599,355*
2022: 1,257,000
2021: 1,201,077
2020: 1,136,306
2019: 1,404,277
2018: 1,241,535
2017: 1,178,395
2016: 1,244,191

*Number revised based on most recent natural gas consumption report.

2025 Goals

• Retrofit heating systems to switch to electricity as the primary source of heating.
• Investigate options for procurement of renewable natural gas (RNG).