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Lufthansa launches first scheduled flights using Biofuel

Lufthansa has launched a six-month biofuel trial on regular scheduled flights. A Lufthansa Airbus A321 with the registration D-AIDG flies the Hamburg-Frankfurt-Hamburg route four times daily. One of its engines runs on a 50/50 mix of regular fuel and biosynthetic kerosene. The biofuel for jet engines has been approved by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).

Since biokerosene has similar properties to those of conventional kerosene it can be used for all aircraft types without any need for modifications to the aircraft or its engines. The first flight of the six-month trial, operating under flight number LH013, took off on 15 July from Hamburg at 11.15am bound for Frankfurt. During the six months test run period, the use of biofuel will reduce CO2 emissions by up to 1,500 tonnes.

Christoph Franz, chairman and CEO of the Lufthansa Group, said: “Lufthansa is the first airline worldwide to use biofuel in scheduled daily flight operations. We are thus continuing to steadily implement our proven and successful strategy for sustainability.”

The biosynthetic kerosene used by Lufthansa is derived from pure biomass (biomass to liquids – BtL) and consists of jatropha, camelina and animal fats. In the procurement of biofuel, Lufthansa ensures that it originates from a sustainable supply and production process. Suppliers must provide proof of the sustainability of their processes and meet the criteria stipulated by the European Parliament and the Council in the Renewable Energy Directive.

Lufthansa guarantees that the production of its biofuel is not in direct competition with food production and that no rainforests are destroyed.