The Civil Aviation Authority of Albania, together with its international partners, hosted the third Partner Meeting of the Project “SOLAR - Sustainable reduction Of carbon footprint Level in program AiRports”. The event took place on 10 and 11 May at the MAK Hotel in Tirana, Albania.

The project, led by Puglia Region - Department of Mobility (Italy), includes among its partners Airports of Puglia (Italy), Airports of Montenegro (Montenegro), Albanian Civil Aviation Authority (Albania), Sviluppo Italia Molise (Regional Development Agency of Molise Region) - Italy.

The efforts of all the partners of the SOLAR Project have yielded profitable and highly valuable results, as evidenced by the significant achievements and tangible outcomes that have contributed towards elevating the sustainability and energy efficiency standards of the airports in Puglia, Albania, and Montenegro.

Up to this point, several significant achievements have been made in the project, including the completion of the carbon footprint report, the development of a low energy plan (energy efficiency plan), and a comprehensive study on the transportation and connectivity between Puglia and Molise.

At the meeting, all partners shared their plan to strengthen the strategic collaboration enabled by SOLAR. They proposed new measures to be implemented under the IPA South Adriatic Program 2021-2027, aimed at promoting further effective and sustainable interventions that support the gradual attainment of carbon neutrality.

The SOLAR project is funded by the INTERREG IPA CBC Italy-Albania-Montenegro 2014- 2020 Program with 688,500.00 euros, aimed at contributing to the implementation of the “Airport Carbon Accreditation” program, which is promoted by ACI Europe, the European Association of Airport Managers. This project involves a strategic framework of actions intended to help airport management companies and all stakeholders involved in achieving “carbon neutrality” through energy efficiency.