Signature Flight Support’s Vail Valley Jet Center at Colorado’s Eagle Regional Airport is the first to achieve Tier 3 in NATA’s Sustainability Standard for Aviation Businesses. The free, voluntary initiative, developed by a working group under NATA’s environment committee, was launched last November to provide FBOs and other industry operators with a self-certification process for pursuing flexible, cost-effective options to lower their carbon footprint.
Each level of the program builds on the previous tier's guidelines, starting with the initial Green Aviation Business designation which includes a checklist of mandatory features. Further improvements include the installation of low-flow plumbing fixtures, implementation of a sustainable sourcing/procurement policy, adoption of electrically-powered ground handling equipment and vehicles, and upgrade of lighting to energy-efficient LEDs.
“As Signature’s Vail Valley Jet Center ascends to NATA’s Tier 3 Green Aviation Business certification, we’re delighted to be driving real environmental impacts in the Colorado Rocky Mountains,” said Jovan Phillips, product manager for Signature Renew, the company's sustainability initiative. “Signature has set the industry template for green FBO facility design, which includes 13 solar-powered FBOs and 29 LEED construction projects completed to date, and we’re proud to be recognized by NATA for achieving this exceedingly high standard.”
