After a six-month successful practical trial involving biosynthetic fuel, Lufthansa is launching the first scheduled transatlantic flight to the United States on 12 January 2012. A Boeing 747-400, carrying about 40 tonnes of a biosynthetic fuel mix, will fly from Frankfurt to Washington. With this flight alone, Lufthansa expects to reduce CO2 emissions by 38 tonnes, equivalent to the CO2 emissions of six scheduled flights between Frankfurt and Berlin.
The aviation industry has undertaken a great deal in terms of climate protection and has set itself ambitious targets. In line with IATA’s industry-wide goal, airlines must reduce their net CO2 emissions by 50 per cent by the year 2050 compared to 2005. “If we want to protect our climate and thus our future in a sustainable manner, we need innovative ideas and technologies and an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels – particularly in view of the growing demand for mobility worldwide,” said Christoph Franz, Chairman of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG.