Daa Dublin Airport

Airports face a profound sustainability challenge. From reducing emissions on the airside to electrifying entire campuses: the transition to climate-neutral airport operations demands ambition, collaboration, and the right funding. Dublin Airport is demonstrating how this can be achieved through the ‘Dublin Airport Campus Electrification (DACE)’ project. DACE has been awarded CEF AFIF funding, with the assistance of Hezelburcht:

The Project: Dublin Airport Campus Electrification (DACE)

Dublin Airport Authority (daa), operator of Dublin and Cork airports, is working on a large-scale electrification of its entire airport campus. The Dublin Airport Campus Electrification (DACE) project involves the installation of charging infrastructure for a wide range of vehicles and equipment: pantograph chargers for landside shuttle buses, charging points for light vehicles and airside shuttles, and charging infrastructure for Ground Support Equipment (GSE).

The project is co-funded by the European executive agency CINEA and directly contributes to the EU’s climate objectives. It is a concrete step towards climate-neutral airport operations by 2050, in line with the European Union’s TEN-T policy.

Hezelburcht’s Role: Securing CEF AFIF Funding

Hezelburcht supported daa in successfully applying for a grant under the Connecting Europe Facility – Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility (CEF AFIF), in the 2024–2025 call. The result: total funding of € 4.7 million, with the first instalment of € 2.35 million already received from the European Commission.

CEF AFIF is a European funding instrument aimed at deploying alternative fuel infrastructure along the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). A successful application requires in-depth knowledge of European regulations, technical project requirements, and the specific criteria set by CINEA. Hezelburcht guided daa through the entire process — from identifying the opportunity to submitting a successful application.