Long Beach Airport: Making Air Travel Easier and Much Greener

On Friday, February 9th, 29 USC students conducted a technical study tour of the Long Beach Airport (LGB) with a specific focus on its sustainable practice. We extend our gratitude to the Airport Leadership Team for delivering a comprehensive presentation. With students representing diverse majors and career interests in transportation, the tour provided a valuable opportunity to bridge academic knowledge with real-world application within real-time constraints.

Established as the oldest municipal airport in California, LGB presently facilitates 58 outgoing flights daily, catering to four domestic airlines: Delta, Delta Connection, Southwest, and Hawaiian Airlines.

Our journey commenced with an insightful introduction by the airport’s Deputy Director, Juan Lopez-Rios, who outlined the day's agenda, including a 45-minute guided tour of the airport's facilities. Administrative Analyst Gilberto Contreras then elaborated on LGB’s sustainable initiatives, which encompass four primary areas: air quality and emissions control, energy reduction and efficiency, water quality and conservation, and solid waste management and recycling.

Airport Carbon Accreditation
Prior to the tour, Professor Eric Shen tasked students with familiarizing themselves with the seven levels of Airport Carbon Accreditation, a program owned and governed by the European region of Airports Council International (ACI) and administered by WSP, an environmental consulting company. This accreditation framework provides airports with a standardized approach to achieve carbon neutrality. LGB has successfully attained Level 2 certification (Reduction), demonstrating quantifiable emissions reductions and implementation of carbon management practices such as adopting fuel alternatives for airport vehicles and reducing energy consumption.

To attain Level 3 certification, Contreras explained, LGB must engage third parties in and around the airport in their carbon reduction efforts, such as airlines and independent contractors. Contreras then presented five projects that demonstrate LGB’s commitment to sustainability. One focused on organic waste reduction as mandated by the City of Long Beach. At a low cost to the airport, vendors are encouraged to collect back-of-house food scraps for weekly pickup by the municipality. Other initiatives included the replacement of light bulbs with energy-efficient LEDs on Runway 12-30 and the reconstruction of Runway L with recycled asphalt millings. 

Alternative Fuel
After the presentation, Contreras, Public Affairs Officer Kate Kuykendall, and environmental consultant Joohi Sood led students on a walking tour of the airport. We first stopped on the roof level of Parking Structure A, where solar panels had been installed. There, Kuykendall and Contreras discussed the impact of community activism on alternative fuel usage at the airport and noise abatement. Kuykendall credited local mom and former journalist Lori Shepler with bringing the use of leaded aviation fuel to media attention. In response, Connie Devenport, a senior Environmental Engineering student stated that the airport’s initiatives “not only improve the sustainability of the airport but also improve the quality of life of the surrounding Long Beach community, which has been very strongly advocating for their health and safety through local activism.”

EV Baggage Carriers and Waste Recycling
Following that, the group delved into the behind-the-scenes operations of the airport. Contreras and Kuykendall guided the attention towards the electrification of baggage carrier systems and LGB’s robust waste management strategies. Kuykendall highlighted the effectiveness of segregating waste through the implementation of separate bins for landfill and recycling, which has notably reduced instances of improper disposal, according to feedback from onsite maintenance staff. The tour culminated with a visit to the airport's open-air passenger concourse, a feature installed in 2012.

Students finished the day with generous gift bags from the LGB team, which included stickers commemorating the airport’s 100th anniversary and a model airplane! The tour made all of us more aware of the extensive efforts to operate a busy airport friendly for travelers and greener for the community.