CENSATIMAll guides →Transport · EU Taxonomy Activity Guide
Airport infrastructure under the EU Taxonomy
Airports qualify under the Taxonomy where their infrastructure enables zero-emission operations on the ground: fixed electrical ground power and pre-conditioned air at stands (replacing jet-fuel APU running), charging and hydrogen for ground fleets and, looking forward, infrastructure for SAF supply and zero-emission aircraft. It is a targeted activity that turns airport electrification programmes into classifiable green CapEx.
Why this activity matters
Aviation’s ground footprint is the part airports control directly: aircraft burning fuel in auxiliary power units at stands, diesel ground support equipment, and the energy systems of large estates. The Taxonomy’s airport activity focuses precisely there: infrastructure dedicated to zero-emission ground operation qualifies, with fixed electrical ground power (FEGP) and pre-conditioned air the flagship measures because they directly displace APU fuel burn at every equipped stand.
The activity also looks forward along the aviation transition: infrastructure for the supply of sustainable aviation fuels and for future zero-emission (electric or hydrogen) aircraft qualifies, which is how early hydrogen-readiness and SAF blending investments classify. For airport operators and infrastructure investors, the commercial pattern mirrors ports: electrification and fuels-transition CapEx maps onto an aligned activity while the conventional estate does not, so assessments carve the aligned programme out of the wider capital plan.
What alignment requires
Ground-side enablement, with forward-looking fuel provisions. In summary:
| Area | What is required (summarised) |
|---|---|
| Zero-emission ground ops | Infrastructure dedicated to zero-emission ground operations qualifies: fixed electrical ground power and pre-conditioned air at stands, charging and hydrogen refuelling for ground support equipment and airside vehicles. |
| Future fuels & aircraft | Infrastructure for the supply of sustainable aviation fuels and for zero-emission aircraft (electric charging, hydrogen) qualifies, capturing transition-readiness investment. |
| Exclusions | Infrastructure dedicated to fossil jet fuel handling does not qualify, and general terminal or capacity development is outside the activity; mixed programmes qualify for their dedicated components. |
Summarised for orientation; the assessment itself applies the full criteria text of the Delegated Acts as amended.
Where DNSH scrutiny falls
Construction-phase controls on an operating airfield; the measures themselves typically reduce local NOx and noise from APU running.
Drainage and de-icing runoff management around apron works.
Screening for airside works; habitat considerations at airfield margins.
CRVA for the estate: heat, flooding and storm resilience of electrical infrastructure.
Documentation that typically supports the assessment
- Programme scope: stands equipped with FEGP/PCA, GSE charging, hydrogen or SAF infrastructure
- Dedication evidence for each component’s zero-emission purpose
- Electrical works and grid connection descriptions
- Environmental screening for airside construction
- Estate climate resilience assessment
How Censatim assesses it
Airport assessments carve the aligned programme out of the capital plan: our questioning maps each component against the ground-operations and future-fuels provisions, screens the fossil-fuel exclusion, and covers the airside DNSH set. The output gives operators and lenders the aligned CapEx classification their green frameworks require.
Censatim is an expert-built EU Taxonomy assessment tool: describe the asset or activity in plain language, upload supporting documents, and answer a short set of targeted questions. The result is a criterion-by-criterion view with an In-line / Partial / Not aligned / Undetermined rating and a confidence level for each dimension. See the full methodology.
Frequently asked questions
Assess airport infrastructure now
Free eligibility in under a minute. The sector and activity are pre-filled for you.