Lufthansa to operate a Frankfurt-Washington Dulles biofuel flight on January 12

Lufthansa (Frankfurt) announced today it will operate a Boeing 747-400 biofuel flight from Frankfurt to Washington (Dulles) on January 12. The company also announced the results of the domestic biofuel flights already conducted in Germany between Frankfurt and Hamburg with Airbus A321s.

Here is the full statement:

“After a six-month practical trial involving biosynthetic fuel, Lufthansa is pleased to announce the first positive results. In all, 1,187 biofuel flights were operated between Hamburg and Frankfurt. According to initial calculations, CO2 emissions were reduced by 1,471 tons. Total consumption of the biokerosene mix amounted to 1,556 tons.

The highlight of the biofuel trial at Lufthansa will be the first scheduled transatlantic flight to the United States, which is now planned for January 12, 2012. A Boeing 747-400, carrying about 40 tons of a biosynthetic fuel mix, will fly from Frankfurt to Washington. With this flight alone, Lufthansa expects to reduce CO2 emissions by 38 tons, 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.

Biosynthetic kerosene is just as reliable as conventional jet fuel but the environmental effects are more positive. Thanks to the higher energy density of biofuel, it has been possible to reduce the fuel consumption by more than one per cent. Furthermore, biosynthetic kerosene is free of sulphur and aromatic compounds.

The principle behind biofuel is simple and is based on the carbon cycle. Plants withdraw CO2 from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. When aircraft engines burn biofuel, this CO2 is released back into the atmosphere. Biofuel emits about 50 per cent less CO2 than conventional fossil fuels.”

Copyright Photo: Bernhard Ross. Please click on the photo for information on this special logojet.

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