SEPANG (Oct 22): AirAsia became the first airline in Malaysia to adopt Combo Units, an advanced airport ground equipment that is more fuel efficient, at its main hub at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 2 on Tuesday.

The Combo Units are used when aircraft are parked in the terminal before a flight and during transit. Typically, an auxiliary power unit (APU), which is powered by aviation turbine fuel, is used to keep the lights and air conditioning on in the parked aircraft.

The Combo Units, which have dual functions as a Ground Power Unit and an Air Condition Unit, replace the APU, and is able to reduce associated carbon dioxide emissions by 90% at optimal usage, according to AirAsia. It also leads to less air and noise pollution.

“Malaysia is fully committed to achieving sustainable growth in aviation, and this commitment is embodied in the Malaysia Aviation Decarbonisation Blueprint (MADB). This comprehensive strategy provides a clear pathway for the sector to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, ensuring that Malaysia’s aviation sector can continue to grow sustainably while reducing its environmental impact,” said Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook, who attended the launch.

One of the key initiatives of the MADB, which was launched in September, was implementing operational efficiency, which is demonstrated by the use of the Combo Units, the minister added.

AirAsia plans to deploy its first four Combo Units this month, and will introduce additional units in all major domestic hubs by the end of 2025. When completed, these are expected to reduce AirAsia’s ground-based emissions by 20,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, which is almost 1% of its total emissions in Malaysia in 2023.

A conventional APU consumes around 120kg to 140kg of fuel per hour, and it costs around US$700,000 (RM3.03 million), said AirAsia Aviation Group chief airport and customer experience officer Kesavan Sivanandam.

“The Combo Unit does the same functions as the APU, [but it] provides electrical energy as well as air cooling at a significantly lower cost,” said Kesavan, adding that it only consumes only up to around 30kg of fuel.

“We aim to cut down our ground cost by up to 45% by using the Combo Unit, but most importantly, [cut] our carbon emissions by 90%.”

This initiative is part of AirAsia’s decarbonisation initiatives to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, and to meet the emissions reduction requirements set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation that global airlines must follow.

These targets can be met by introducing technologies to increase efficiency and reduce use of fuels, purchasing eligible carbon credits, or using sustainable aviation fuels. However, implementing these initiatives require investments.

In September, Capital A Bhd (KL:CAPITALA) chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes announced that AirAsia is planning to introduce mandatory carbon fees on air travel across its operations by January 2025. The collected fees will be used to support decarbonisation initiatives.

AirAsia chief sustainability officer and executive director Yap Mun Ching said the airline wants to apply the fees uniformly across the markets it operates in.

“We are applying to more than 20 countries for simultaneous approval. We’ve gotten about 80% of them, so there’s a balance of 20%. Once that is approved, it will be very transparent and will be announced,” said Yap.