The new terminal at Indianapolis International Airport opened last month, replacing a terminal on one side of the airfield with a brand-new one in the centre of the airfield, between the two runways. Big deal, I hear you say? Well, it is! Not only is the new terminal much more passenger friendly and, quite frankly, better-looking than the 50-year-old building it replaces, but it is also much more environmentally efficient. It is the first US terminal building to be built according to the exacting LEED environmental specifications from the ground-up. But the building itself only offers part of the environmental benefit – where it’s situated is also very important.
 

Previously, aircraft landing on one of Indianapolis’s two runways had to taxi for over 12 minutes to reach the terminal. Now, with the gates much closer to the runways, around eight to nine minutes have been shaved off the taxiing time. Aside from getting passengers to the gates or runways faster, and reducing delays, and reducing the need for aircraft to cross active runways, the new airport layout will save fuel. A lot of fuel – in fact, by my (admittedly very rough) calculations, over the course of a year it may save around 26,652,000 kilogrammes of fuel which could reduce emissions by 84,000 tonnes of CO2! Check out this Google Maps view of how IND looked as construction started three years ago:

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While we are on the subject of airports, you might be interested in Auckland Airport’s new website launched yesterday, which has a section dedicated to their comprehensive sustainability programme. Make sure to look out for information about lift – a project that encourages airport employees to catch public transport to work or carpool (in fact, over 600 airport staff are now part of what is probably the biggest carpooling scheme in New Zealand).

- Image by Flickr user vaanroy_13