AIRPORT OPERATING NORMALLY
Ecopetrol Group and El Dorado Airport inaugurate first section of a taxiway paved with recycled plastic
- It is the first time in the country that this product is used for the paving of a taxiway in an air terminal.
- The section intervened is designed for Charlie category aircraft and has a length of 680m2.
- This form of paving is more environmentally friendly and provides greater durability and resistance to asphalt.
Bogotá, June 6, 2023 – Ecopetrol and El Dorado Airport inaugurated the first road section of a taxiway, paved with modified asphalt containing post-consumer recycled plastic and technically complying with all the parameters required by the Colombian Aeronautical Regulations.
The paving of the section used an asphalt mixture containing 338 kg of recycled plastic, which is equivalent to 200,000 bags, one of the products that generates the greatest pollution in ecosystems and low use in recycling processes due to its difficult recovery.
"Working together with Ecopetrol, Opain, MPI and Dromos allows us to strengthen the pavement maintenance processes of El Dorado Airport by incorporating plastic waste into the asphalt mix and promoting the circular economy from the business sector to continue caring for and conserving the planet," said Natali Leal, General Manager of OPAIN.
Pedro Manrique, Vice President of Commercial and Marketing of Ecopetrol, stressed that this milestone allows progress on the path of Sustainability® and energy transition. "At Ecopetrol we are proud of this new technology that has great environmental, social and economic benefits. We are preventing plastics from reaching water sources and landfills, promoting the work of recyclers and replacing a virgin imported polymer with a national recycled plastic."
"At ANI, we applaud El Dorado Airport decision to carry out this more environmentally friendly paving pilot. This was possible thanks to an alliance between the State and Opain, within the framework of its sustainability strategies and its efforts to promote circular economy initiatives from the business sector. With this we call on all concessionaires, both airport and road, to join initiatives such as Opain, in order to make our economy circular and bet on caring for the environment, "said Carolina Barbanti, vice president of Contractual Management of the ANI.
During the second semester of 2023, the paving of the taxiways at El Dorado Airport will continue, by including recovered plastic, which is transformed through an alliance set up with Esenttia, a subsidiary of Ecopetrol Group.
About OPAIN – El Dorado Airport Concessionaire
Opain, the concessionaire that manages El Dorado airport, which is Colombia's gateway to the world, has managed to position itself as the first cargo transport airport in Latin America and the third in passenger transport in the region.
It has currently been recognized as the best airport in South America by the British firm Skytrax and as the leading airport in South America by the World Travel Awards. El Dorado is consolidated as a world reference for its sustainable operation, which is why this year it was the first airport in the world to receive the highest LEED Platinum certification (EBOM 4.1) by the Green Building Council of the USA.
About Ecopetrol
Ecopetrol is Colombia’s largest company and one of the leading integral energy companies in the Americas, with more than 18,000 employees. In Colombia, it is responsible for more than 60% of the hydrocarbon production of most of the hydrocarbon transportation, logistics, and refining system, and has leading positions in petrochemicals and gas distribution. With the acquisition of 51.4% of ISA's shares, it participates in power transmission, real-time systems management (XM) and the Costera Barranquilla - Cartagena road concession. Internationally, Ecopetrol has a presence in strategic basins of the American continent, with E&P operations in the United States (Permian basin and Gulf of Mexico), Brazil and Mexico, and through ISA and its subsidiaries it has leading positions in the power transmission business in Brazil, Chile, Peru and Bolivia, road concessions in Chile and telecommunications.
This press release contains statements related to the business outlook, estimates for operating and financial results and statements related to Ecopetrol's growth prospects. All of them are projections and, as such, are based solely on management's expectations regarding the future of the company and their continued access to capital to fund the company's business plan. The realization of these estimates in the future depends on the behavior in market conditions, regulations, competition, performance of the Colombian economy and industry, among other factors; therefore, they are subject to change without notice.
more information:
OPAIN
Eduardo Andrade – Senior Consultant Modum
Cell: 3102808786
Sandra Sandoval – Head of Internal Communications and Airport Relations
Ecopetrol
Media Relations
Juan Guillermo Londoño
