Lufthansa targets 25 percent reduction in CO2 emissions and 10 percent use of biofuels by 2020
Wolfgang Mayrhuber, Lufthansa Group's Chairman and CEO
Fri 20 June 2008 – Lufthansa has published 15 environmental guidelines to achieve substantial reductions in CO2, NOx and noise emissions by 2020. Included in the plans is support for the targets set by ACARE and IATA’s four-pillar strategy as well as revenue-neutral incentive systems such as emissions-based landing fees. The airline also aims to use up to 10 percent of biofuel in jet fuel blends by 2020.
“Lufthansa has in recent years succeeded in decoupling traffic growth from its deleterious impact on the environment,” said Wolfgang Mayrhuber, Chairman and CEO. “With the four-pillar strategy agreed with other airlines, we have an effective and comprehensive concept for reducing emissions, whereby standardization of air traffic control through implementation of a Single European Sky remains Europe’s single biggest environmental protection project.”
Under the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe (ACARE) targets, Lufthansa Group intends to reduce its CO2 emissions per flown kilometre by 25% and NOx emissions by 80% by 2020 compared to levels in 2000. It says it will “pursue diverse noise abatement measures and is cooperating in related research projects designed to achieve the ACARE objective of halving noise emissions by 2020.”
Lufthansa says it supports ecologically-oriented, revenue-neutral s incentive systems such as the emissions-based landing fees introduced at Frankfurt and Munich airports. The airline also says it will continue to advocate “within international organizations a practicable solution for including air traffic in emissions trading.”
More details of the 15 guidelines are to be published soon in the Lufthansa Group’s forthcoming annual sustainability report, Balance.
