Syracuse, NY, March 13, 2023 – The Syracuse Regional Airport Authority (SRAA) and Aéro Mag announced today the official kick-off of construction on a new Glycol Recycling Facility at Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR). Glycol is the main component in aircraft deicing fluid and critical to safe operations at airports in colder climates.

Construction crews broke ground last week on the facility, which is capable of producing an estimated 500,000 gallons of Type I glycol annually. Once fully operational in the fall, the facility – also referred to as an “RRR – Recover, Recycle, Reuse Facility” – will take used aircraft deicing fluid collected from the airport’s multiple deicing pads and refine it to produce pure glycol. This glycol will then be blended and certified as Type I deicing fluid again. The byproducts of this refinement are glycol and clean water, yielding 5-7 million gallons of reusable water per year as well.

“Aéro Mag wishes to pursue its innovative glycol recycling for the future of aviation and the environment,” said Mario Lépine, President of Aéro Mag.

Talks are underway with other airports in Upstate New York to transport their used glycol for recycling at SYR. This affords other airports the opportunity to dispose of used deicing fluid at little to no cost, while benefiting the environment. Once refined at SYR, that glycol will then be resold to airlines operating in Syracuse at approximately 10-15% below market rate. This will help our airline partners realize cost savings and a more secure supply chain.

“This project is an excellent example of our Regional Responsibility efforts,” said SRAA Executive Director Jason Terreri. “As one of our core values, we know that being a good community partner means placing an emphasis on environmental sustainability. Not only will we recycle the glycol utilized at our airport, but our partnership with airports across the region will extend that environmental stewardship well beyond our fence line.”

By June of this year, the low content evaporator will begin treating fluid from this winter up to 10% concentration. A ribbon cutting ceremony will be planned for the fall once the RRR facility is fully operational.

To learn more about the 28 destinations served by nonstop flights from SYR, please visit the airport’s Destinations Page.

Aero Mag is a privately owned company based in Montreal, specialized in aircraft de-icing, de-icing centre management and recycling of used de-icing products. The company has over 1,500 employees in 16 locations around the world. Additionally, Aero Mag unveiled the world’s first electrically powered aircraft de-icing truck in 2020. To learn more about Aéro Mag, please visit their website.