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The Calgary Glycol Facility Corporation (CGFC), a consortium of airlines, hosted the grand opening of its industry-leading glycol recycling facility at YYC Calgary International Airport (YYC) on Sept. 13.
One of only a few airport glycol recycling facilities in Canada, the new facility at YYC is the most technologically advanced, in addition to being the first airline-owned facility due to the close collaboration between The Calgary Airport Authority and CGFC.
“The opening of this new facility illustrates our commitment to working closely with our airline partners and the City of Calgary in order to operate YYC in a sustainable manner,” said Bernie Humphries, vice-president of operations for The Calgary Airport Authority.
“Last year, six million litres of de-icing fluid was applied to aircraft and just over five million litres of glycol fluid was collected for storage, treatment and recycling.”
During Calgary winters, ice and snow that has accumulated on an aircraft needs to be removed for flight safety. The de-icing fluid used is a mix of glycol and water. The new facility, an integral part of glycol management at YYC, takes the used de-icing fluid that has traditionally been handled as waste and transforms it into a reusable product, providing both environmental and economic benefits.
“This is a great example of how the airline community at YYC collaborated to invest in infrastructure and an innovative Canadian-based technology to ensure its operations are environmentally sustainable,” said Geoffrey Tauvette, WestJet, director of environment and fuel. “Having led this initiative on behalf of the airline community, WestJet is proud to implement a ground-breaking solution that can be leveraged across our network.”
