November 2026
On 5 November, Esmé Valk, Schiphol’s Chief People and Transformation Officer, presented the Roadmap of the European TULIPS programme to Alexandre de Joybert, Director of Sustainability at ACI Europe. Through this handover, we are symbolically passing on the results of five years of research into more sustainable aviation operations to airports across Europe.
Guide to reducing emissions and enhancing resilient airport operations
The roadmap brings together all the key lessons learned, ranging from trials with a hydrogen-powered pushback tractor and an innovative iron-flow battery to large-scale Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) blending and a platform for the reuse of construction materials. As such, the roadmap serves as a practical guide for airports seeking to reduce emissions and waste. It also contributes to the development of a more resilient and future-proof energy and fuel supply.
Five domains, seventeen demonstrations
The roadmap provides concise summaries of all seventeen demonstrations carried out within the TULIPS programme. They are grouped into five domains: mobility, aviation, energy, circularity and carbon removal. Each domain chapter explains the challenge it addresses and its links to the other domains.
Inspiration and evidence-based insights
The lessons captured in this roadmap are intended above all as a practical guide for airports across Europe. It is not a fixed blueprint to be copied, but a source of inspiration and evidence-based insight into how airports can decarbonise their operations and embed sustainability throughout their organisations.
Airports start from different positions, with varying infrastructure, regulatory frameworks, energy systems and strategic priorities. Yet they share the same challenge: meeting continued demand for air travel while contributing to Europe’s climate ambitions and maintaining a competitive aviation sector.
Some solutions can be implemented in the short term, while others require further development, supporting infrastructure or policy changes. We encourage every airport to select the approaches most relevant to its own transition pathway and adapt them to its local context.
Explore the roadmap
The roadmap is available as an interactive map on the TULIPS website, or you can download the PDF version.
