Clean-Air Effort Arrives Early at Bob Hope Airport

In a move to improve air quality, officials from Burbank’s Bob Hope Airport and Southwest Airlines agreed to launch a joint effort, five years ahead of schedule, to convert diesel-powered ground-service equipment to machinery powered by electricity.

Under the deal, approved Tuesday by the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, the airfield is obligated to provide electricity chargers and wiring at all 14 gates by the end of summer. Southwest, in turn, will replace about 40 diesel-powered baggage-towing vehicles, air stairs, conveyors and aircraft-pushing tractors with new battery-powered equipment by the end of 2005.

“It helps reduce emissions in the air around the airport ... and it shows the commitment of Southwest of being a good corporate citizen,” said Charles Lombardo, president of the board that oversees the former Burbank Airport.

An earlier agreement between major airlines and state and federal agencies required that at least 30% of their ground equipment at major Southern California airports be replaced by 2010 with machinery that is electric-powered or produces zero emissions, officials said.

Tuesday’s agreement, which is more expansive, will convert nearly 100% of the equipment used by Southwest, which operates about two-thirds of Bob Hope Airport’s ground equipment.

Larry Laney, director of ground support for Southwest, praised the airport for its willingness to pay for the chargers, which the authority estimates will cost $500,000 to buy and install. He added that he hoped this action would inspire other airports to “work harder to absorb some of the costs for the carriers, to make it easier to convert” equipment.

Ground-service equipment accounts for 6% to 15% of airport emissions, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District. Retiring old equipment and reducing diesel emissions will help decrease cancer risks for people at the airport as well as in surrounding areas, said Henry Hogo, assistant deputy executive officer for AQMD.