London Luton Airport runs new bus fleet on renewable diesel

Photo: London Luton Airport

London Luton Airport announced Nov. 4 that it has taken another key step towards its ambition to achieve net zero for its airport emissions by 2040, following a multimillion-pound investment in a fleet of sustainable car park transfer buses and operational vehicles used across the airport.

The new buses are powered by hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), also known as renewable diesel, certified by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification System GmbH.

HVO is a lower-carbon alternative to diesel that can save up to 90 percent of carbon emissions across the fuel’s lifecycle. 

The investment in the buses, alongside the transition of all airside-operations vehicles to HVO and an increase in the number of electric vehicles (EV), means that almost two thirds of London Luton Airport’s operational fleet will be electric or running on low-carbon fuel by the end of 2024.

“As part of our commitment to net zero, we have set targets to implement a 100 percent low-carbon fleet by 2030,” said David Vazquez, head of sustainability at London Luton Airport. “From the end of this year, this latest transition will reduce our airport emissions by nearly 15 percent, playing an important role in our plans for responsible growth. All aspects of our sustainability strategy are underpinned by collaboration and I’m grateful to teams across the business, who work so hard to embed better environmental and social practices into their daily roles and responsibilities.”

London Luton Airport’s trajectory to net zero focuses on six key areas that will see the airport working with partners and the wider industry to implement various decarbonization initiatives.

These include developing on-site renewables, phasing out natural gas, improving energy efficiency and transitioning its operational fleet to low-carbon alternatives. 

London Luton Airport is one of the U.K.’s busiest airports, carrying over 16.2 million passengers in 2023.

In 2024, it was named European Airport of the Year (10 million-25 million passengers) by ACI Europe. 

Last year, London Luton Airport also became only the third major U.K. airport to achieve Level 4 of the globally recognized Airport Carbon Accreditation scheme, demonstrating that it is “transforming its operations to achieve carbon reductions in line with global climate goals.”