Green Perspective of Air Cargo Transport Chains – The Case of Eastern Adriatic Region

Abstract

This article deals with the highly topical issue of greening air transport chains. It is important to consider the environmental aspect of the current performance of air transport in regions with less intensive air transport chains, such as the Eastern Adriatic. The regional airports of Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade are dependent on European air cargo hubs and at the same time have the task of connecting the national airports in Sarajevo, Podgorica, etc., which complicates the functioning of air transport chains regionally. A comprehensive consideration of air cargo chains is important in terms of price and transport time, but also in terms of the GHG footprint. The results show that an environmental assessment of air transport chains is necessary for a more comprehensive decision on sustainable supply chains. The study enriches the scientific understanding of air transport chains in the Eastern Adriatic region from the point of view of carbon footprint and energy efficiency of transport, and highlights the need to use the already developed IT tools in the assessment and modelling of transport chains when different options are presented to cargo owners. Integrating the above approaches and data into current business models enables the gradual regional decarbonisation of air transport.