Queenstown Airport releases 2025 Sustainability Report

Queenstown Airport has released its 2025 Sustainability Report, showing meaningful progress on decarbonisation and broader sustainability initiatives.

“Our holistic approach to sustainability recognises that people, planet, and prosperity are intertwined,” Chief Executive Shane O’Hare says. “A lot of effort is going into supporting our community, reducing our environmental impact, and improving how we operate. This report is an opportunity to pause and reflect on the measurable difference that is making.”

The report includes comprehensive climate-related disclosures and is supported by a Carbon Footprint Report, which provides an overview of the company’s greenhouse gas emissions inventory.

These show Queenstown Airport has lowered organisational emissions* by 76% since the 2019 baseline and remains on track for an 85% reduction by 2028.

A significant step towards this was the upgrade of the system used to heat, cool, and ventilate the terminal. The system is now fully electric, and the diesel boiler used for preheating has been permanently decommissioned.

General Manager Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Sara Irvine says another important achievement during the year was the completion of a comprehensive assessment of climate-related risks and opportunities, which is outlined in the report.

“It is vital that we operate sustainably and build long-term resilience. A key priority for us is to understand, plan, and adapt to the impacts of climate change on our business,” Ms Irvine says.

“We also recognise the importance of fostering positive relationships and building strong connections with the people and businesses of the region we serve.”

An example of this in action is the new partnership Queenstown Airport has formed with Remarkables Station National Trust Ltd to restore native forest to a 100-hectare area of farmland at the foot of the Remarkables mountain range.

Another is the establishment of the ZQN Community Fund, which complements the airport’s longstanding partnerships programme and enables the easy distribution of smaller one-off grants to grassroots charities doing valuable work in the Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago districts. In its inaugural year, grants totalling $50,000 were awarded from the fund, which is administered by the 45South Community Foundation.

Other highlights of the year include:

• Airport Carbon Accreditation Level 4+: Queenstown Airport joined the Airports International Council Airport Carbon Accreditation programme at the second-highest tier in 2024 and has maintained that accreditation this year.
• Sustainability-linked loans: All four sustainability targets linked to bank lending facilities have been achieved.
• Electrification: The airport is investing heavily in increasing electrical capacity, building a new switchroom, installing another transformer, and laying hundreds of metres of new cabling.
• Newer aircraft at ZQN: Our partner airlines have introduced quieter, more fuel-efficient aircraft on their ZQN routes, which will reduce the intensity of emissions per passenger. Aircraft emissions represent the majority of our scope 3 emissions.
• Electric ground service equipment: The six charging stations for electric ground service equipment installed in 2024 are now in regular use by all the airlines operating at Queenstown Airport.
• Bike chargers: Three electric charging stations have been installed for use by the public and another six for airport workers.
• Waste minimisation: The airport’s on-site composting and recycling programmes have been expanded.
• Sustainable construction: With a substantial infrastructure investment programme under way, sustainable construction practices are a focus and sustainable design guidelines are being developed.
• Community partnerships: Continued support for local charities, including the Whakatipu Reforestation Trust, Coastguard Queenstown, KiwiHarvest, and the Wakatipu High School Foundation.
• Employee wellbeing:  A Whānau Policy, providing additional benefits and support to help staff members through key life events, was introduced this year.

* Organisational emissions are defined as scopes 1 and 2, and limited scope 3.

The full reports are available on the Queenstown Airport website:
2025 Sustainability Report 
2025 Carbon Footprint Report