DENVER – November 2, 2026 – Denver International Airport (DEN) released its 2025 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report today, which shows how sustainability, equity, operational excellence, and customer experience are incorporated into decision-making and long-term strategic plans at DEN.

“I’m pleased to share DEN’s 2025 ESG report, which reflects of our continued commitment to long-term stewardship of the airport and to being a responsible and transparent community partner,” Interim DEN CEO Dave LaPorte said. “As we grow, we remain focused on doing so responsibly and on building an airport that delivers lasting value, strengthens our region and sets the standard for the future of aviation.”

DEN saw a record 82.4 million annual passengers travel through the airport in 2025, a slight increase over the year before. Accomplishments from the year include:

Environmental Stewardship

• Achieving the highest-ever waste diversion rate, thanks to the expansion of the Zero Waste Valet (ZWV) program which provides transportation services for the recyclable and compostable material generated by DEN’s concession partners.
• Reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions by almost 40% from the 2019 baseline, despite a 19% increase in passengers. This includes a 4.2% reduction in electricity usage and a 36.5% reduction in emissions from purchased electricity.
• Measures completed as of late 2025 are projected to save 35 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, 940,000 therms of natural gas and 125 million gallons of water each year.
• An airport industry-leading stormwater management system that collected 72% of the deicing fluid applied to aircraft in 2025.
• Transitioning all 11 Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) vehicles to use firefighting foam that does not contain Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS).
• Launching the “Go To DEN” Transportation Demand Management (TDM) program, a $4 million, five-year initiative targeting a 10% increase in passenger transit trips and a 10% decrease in employee drive-alone trips by 2035.
• A Climate Adaptation Plan that established 38 adaptation actions assigned to 26 contacts across the airport, spanning operations, maintenance, infrastructure design, emergency management, finance and sustainability.

Social Responsibility

• The expansion of the Center of Equity and Excellence in Aviation’s (CEEA) training and development offerings with 17 programs and 1,012 training hours, increased participation across leadership and workforce initiatives, and strengthened partnerships with educational institutions and industry peers. The program also supported a record 16 intern-to-full-time employee conversions, directly strengthening DEN’s talent pipeline and long-term workforce sustainability.
• Overall customer satisfaction score rising to 4.13 out of 5, up from 4.08 in 2024, the highest since 2022. DEN ranked third among all similarly sized participating U.S. airports and led all peers in ease of security screening and security wait times, with the “ease of going through security” score reaching 4.38, a 12% increase directly attributable to the new East and West Security Checkpoints delivered through the Great Hall Program.
• Employee retention improving steadily from 80.1% in 2022 to 87% in 2025, reflecting stronger workforce stability over the four-year period.
• Triennial goals exceeded in FY 2024, with non-car rental Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) participation reaching 36.95% against a 34.2% target and car rental participation reaching 7.96% against a 1.4% target.
• Nearly $65,000 raised through a food and gift card drive that provided essentials for TSA and other federal employees who were affected by the government shutdown.

Governance and Transparency

• The 2025 Colorado Economic Impact Study found that DEN contributed $47.2 billion annually to Colorado’s economy, a 40.9% increase from the prior study, while supporting 244,172 jobs and $15.9 billion in total payroll.
• The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) awarding DEN the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the sixth consecutive year, the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting.
• Aircraft operations increasing 1.5% to over 705,000, and international passengers growing to 4.8%, reaching 5.9% of total traffic. Connecting traffic rose to 46% of total passengers, up from 44.6% in 2024, reinforcing DEN’s role as a major national connecting hub.
• DEN’s total net position growing to $2.6 billion, an increase of $405.4 million, or 18.3%. Net revenue available for sharing totaled $223.6 million, of which $173.6 million was designated for the airport’s capital improvement account.

The full report can be found here.

Denver International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. DEN is the primary economic engine for the state of Colorado, generating more than $47.2 billion for the region annually. For more information visit www.FlyDenver.com, check us out on YouTube and Instagram, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Sign up for DEN’s monthly newsletter Nonstop News.