Top Sustainable Airline

Prague Airport has long been working to motivate airlines to use modern aircraft and comply with regulations so that operations are environmentally friendly. In terms of noise management, one effective motivational tool was the competition for the title of the Quietest Carrier, which the airport had been regularly announcing since 2006 in cooperation with Prague 6 Municipal District. The last edition took place in 2019, after which there was a dramatic two-year decline in traffic and the competition was not held.

In recent years, Prague Airport has been organizing the annual Top Sustainable Airline competition, which includes three main evaluation criteria: noise, emissions of aircraft operating at the airport, and the overall approach, commitments, and activities in the field of sustainability.

Categories

1. Noise

The noise assessment includes the following parameters: measured noise levels during arrivals at designated monitoring stations and the efficiency of seat capacity utilization. The evaluation uses the sophisticated TANOS aircraft noise and flight track monitoring system, which conducts measurements continuously throughout the year. It includes 14 fixed and 1 mobile monitoring station. These stations are located in selected areas around Václav Havel Airport Prague to ensure the data is sufficiently representative.

The TOP 10 carriers at LKPR are evaluated for the period from July to October.

2. Emissions

This category is assessed based on total NOx (nitrogen oxides) emissions and the number of passengers during the given period. The amount of NOx is calculated for each carrier within the standardized LTO cycle (Landing and Take-Off cycle). The calculation uses the UID database of individual engines available to the airport, which is linked to the ICAO Aircraft Engine Emissions Databank to determine NOx emissions per cycle. Based on passenger numbers, the final value is calculated as 1 kg NOx per passenger (kgNOx/PAX).

3. Overall Environmental Performance

This category evaluates the airline’s proactive approach to sustainability, such as transparency and reporting, CO₂ emissions offsetting, commitments to achieving carbon neutrality, support for research into sustainable aviation fuels or aviation innovation, and the company’s environmental management system.

Results of the 2024 Competition

carrier	placement
Wizzair	1
Vueling	2
Eurowings	3