Glossary
Airports Council International (ACI)
An international organization, headquartered in Montreal, which represents airport operators. Around 1,950 airports in almost all of the countries in the world are ACI members, including more than 500 airports in 55 European countries.
German Airports Association (ADV)
The umbrella organization of all passenger airports in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. The organization works to promote Germany as a strong and competitive center of aviation.
European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
The European Aviation Safety Agency is the European Union’s flight safety body for civil aviation, and is based in Cologne.
Particulate matter
The variable PM10 (particulate matter < 10 μm) describes the proportion of particulate matter with a particle diameter of up to 10 μm. As a subset of PM10, PM2.5 contains even smaller particles.
Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
An independent institution based in Amsterdam that publishes globally recognized guidelines on sustainability reporting. The GRI standards create a shared language for organizations and stakeholders that can be used to communicate and understand the economic, environmental, and social impacts of organizations. Its aim is to establish a common baseline for communication and to ensure the comparability of sustainability reports. GRI celebrated its 25th anniversary in September 2022.
Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol)
Globally recognized instrument used to quantify and manage greenhouse gas emissions. The GHG Protocol defines requirements governing the calculation of greenhouse gas emissions on an organization-wide scale and the implementation of projects to reduce emissions.
Auxiliary turbine or Auxiliary Power Unit (APU)
In addition to their two or four main engines, today’s commercial aircraft have a smaller auxiliary power unit. The APU is used to start the main engines and to generate electrical power when the plane is on the ground.
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
Headquartered in Montreal, the International Civil Aviation Organization is an agency of the United Nations. It has a total of 193 contracting states. The goal of the ICAO and its members is to ensure the safe and sustainable development of civil aviation.
Landing and take-off cycle (LTO cycle)
The landing and take-off cycle refers to aircraft CO₂ emissions on the ground and during take-off and landing below 3,000 feet (914 meters). Up to this internationally defined height, any greenhouse gases associated with aircraft turbines are attributed to the airports concerned and distances from the airport of about 8 kilometers in the case of departing aircraft, depending on the climbout, and 17 kilometers in the case of arriving aircraft.
Schengen/Non-Schengen
Departures and arrivals areas for passengers from member states that have signed up to the Schengen Agreement; these passengers have either arrived directly from one of these states or want to travel to one. No border or passport controls are needed. Non-Schengen refers to areas for passengers who have arrived from countries that are not party to the Schengen Agreement. Passports and customs checks are required in this case.
Traffic unit (TU)
A measurement unit used to track all commercial passenger and cargo traffic. One TU is equivalent to one passenger arriving at or departing from an airport with hand luggage (a total of 100 kilograms) or 100 kilograms of airfreight or airmail turned over or a combination of passenger volumes (arrivals and departures) and the local airfreight and airmail volumes (unloaded and loaded).