Addressing Sustainability in African Airports

Sustainable development is crucial to the continuity of our communities.The World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) defined Sustainable development as development that meets the needs of the current generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure highlights the importance of building resilient infrastructure, promotion of inclusive and sustainable industrialization and fostering innovation.Airports are essential facilities that provide the infrastructure necessary for safe air transportation of people and cargo.In addition, airports contribute to the local economies and global economy by providing employment and acting as economic drivers to the local communities.As is, there is no one accepted framework for incorporating sustainability projects in airport development projects.The sustainable development of airports is key to ensuring continuity of the global air transportation system.This study will explore sustainable development practices in African airports including the different approaches used by African airports to achieve sustainable development of the airport systems in Africa.The researcher will use case studies from various regions in Africa including Airports Company South Africa, Kenya Airports Authority, Morocco Airports Authority, and other airport operators to identify best practices on airport sustainability.The researcher expects to find that airports in Africa have adopted sustainable airport development practices.However, it is likely that these practices are not well documented because there is no one accepted framework for incorporating sustainability in airport development projects.