June 16, 2021
The Elephant® e-BETA is Vestergaard’s new electrically operated aircraft deicer. The deicer, which is the first of its kind worldwide, marks a significant step towards sustainable ground handling. Tests show that using the Vestergaard Elephant® e-BETA reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 87%, a reduction corresponding to 35 tonnes of CO2 per year.
The Elephant® e-BETA has been thoroughly tested during the 2020/2021 winter season by customers at several major airports in both North America and Europe. One of the test airports was Stuttgart Airport (STR).
Stuttgart Airport, the largest airport in the Baden-Württemberg region of southwestern Germany, has been a customer of Vestergaard Company since 2012. Stuttgart Airport Ground Handling (SAG), a subsidiary of the airport, operates a GSE fleet of six Elephant® BETA deicers. Two water service units and two toilet service units were also added to the GSE fleet at Stuttgart Airport in 2020.
STR has a very clear objective for sustainability. Peter Nowak, Environmental Coordinator, responsible for deicing of aircraft from SAG, says:” Our mission is to make Stuttgart Airport one of the most efficient and most sustainable airports in Europe – Fairport STR. Our company is committed to having a positive impact on the economy, society and – not least – on both the local and the global environment.”
The STR “Fairport Code” defines values and norms of conduct within several selected areas of the airport. With regard to the environment, the code states:
• We protect the environment and conserve resources
• We want to lead by example and are constantly working to improve ourselves
The test of the Elephant® e-BETA in STR went really well. Peter Nowak says:” We were pleased to see that Vestergaard launched the first electrically operated deicers on the market. At Stuttgart Airport, many apron vehicles are already emission-free. By way of example, all of our passenger buses and luggage carts are battery-powered. We want our entire fleet to cause zero emissions by 2030. The new Elephant® e-BETA causes less local emissions and better working conditions for our employees on the apron, which are obvious benefits.”
Operating an airport affects the environment. Stuttgart Airport takes responsibility for helping to reduce this impact seriously. In this context, the Elephant® e-BETA may well become part of the future Stuttgart GSE fleet.
Peter Nowak concludes: “We appreciate working with partners like Vestergaard that share our values and work on sustainable solutions for airports.”
