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Hybrid fire truck deal

Keiller MacDuff

Christchurch Airport has signed-up to buy a hybrid fire truck – the first of several it hopes to acquire – but some are concerned that the deal is at odds with the plan to open a new international airport in Tarras.

Austrian manufacturer Rosenbauer’s hybrid electric-diesel RT Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) truck hit the streets of Los Angeles in mid2022, with others operating in Europe and Australia, but Christchurch will be the first to use the model at an airport.

Head of aviation operations Tim Morris said the move was another step towards Christchurch International Airport (CIAL) having an entirely hybrid and electric fleet.

‘‘We are keen to accelerate the airport’s transition to clean energy trucks, and in the next few years will replace all four trucks as new Rosenbauer models become available,’’ he said.

James Higham, a spokesman for Informed Leaders – a group of academics opposed to a proposed Tarras airport – said that while CIAL’s efforts to electrify a fire truck and decarbonise its ground operations were welcome, broader claims to carbon neutrality were ‘‘grossly inflated’’.

‘‘The overwhelming amount of emissions related to the airport come from the planes that fly in and out, which the airport chooses not to account for.

‘‘The airport fire truck and other ground initiatives are not even a scratch on the surface of the gross aviation emissions arising from flights.’’

News

en-nz

2023-06-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-06-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/281711209031145

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