Atlantic Aviation Goes All-in on Electric at Aspen/Pitkin County Airport

Atlantic Aviation has further advanced Aspen/Pitkin County Airport’s (KASE) position at the forefront of sustainability and customer experience with the successful transition of nearly all of its ramp service vehicles to electric power.

As part of its industry-leading commitment to sustainability, Atlantic Aviation has begun using battery-powered ground power units (GPUs) at ASE, which not only eliminate noise but also reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the airport by some 180 tons of carbon dioxide equivalents per year. In addition, Atlantic has put some of the industry’s first all-electric fuel trucks – which were unveiled at the National Business Aviation Association Schedulers & Dispatcher’s Conference earlier this year – into service on their Aspen ramp.

Atlantic Aviation is now using new, battery-powered GPUs and the industry’s first all-electric aviation fuel trucks at its Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE) location. The new no-noise, no-emissions units are the latest in the company’s significant on-going efforts to reduce business aviation’s environmental impact within the Aspen community.

The 10 new all-electric GPUs mark the largest investment in these state-of-the-art units by any FBO provider in the nation. They, along with the new all-electric fuel trucks, join the company’s fleet of electric tugs, carts, and hybrid crew vehicles servicing customers and their aircraft at ASE and are contributing to a new standard for sustainable operations. Through these efforts, Atlantic has transitioned ~80% of its ground fleet at ASE to low or zero-emissions vehicles.

The new all-electric GPUs and fuel trucks are just the latest in Atlantic’s meaningful efforts to reduce business aviation’s environmental impact on the Aspen community. The company has been using all-electric tugs there since 2007 and in 2018 converted its entire facility to LED lighting. In 2020, Atlantic began purchasing verified, additionality-focused carbon offsets for all fuel pumped at ASE – including fuel sold to commercial airlines – at no additional cost to customers.

On Earth Day in 2021, Atlantic began pumping sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in Aspen, making it the second airport in Colorado with continuous availability of SAF. To date, the company has provided enough SAF to the state (via renewable diesel to maintain sustainable attributes) to meet all customer requests. In addition, Atlantic Aviation’s Aspen location is certified as a Tier 3 Sustainability Standard for Aviation Businesses by the National Air Transportation Association, the organization’s highest level of sustainability certification.