Lufthansa Cargo, DB Schenker show commitment to avoid CO2 on a B777F

May 21, 2021: On Wednesday (May 19), the Lufthansa Cargo Boeing 777 freighter with the registration D-ALFG took off for the first time with a very special design: The lettering "Flying 100 percent CO2 neutral powered by DB Schenker" and an illustration of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) highlight the joint mission of Lufthansa Cargo and DB Schenker.

"With the use of SAF, which is based on extensive research, the cargo airline and the logistics service provider are accelerating the move away from fossil fuels in order to make the entire air freight industry more climate-friendly," reads the release. 

Since April, they have been offering weekly, CO2-neutral cargo rotations between Frankfurt and Shanghai. The aircraft's special livery draws attention to the issue of SAF and invites customers to transport their freight in a CO2-neutral manner. For Deutsche Bahn and DB Schenker, this is only the third time that the company logo has appeared on an aircraft.

Ashwin Bhat, chief commercial officer, Lufthansa Cargo, said, "The special livery gives us the opportunity to draw attention to our joint commitment worldwide. It also shows that we take our support of the United Nations’ climate action goal very seriously. The increased use of sustainable aviation fuel and a modern freighter fleet is measured with a great impact to sustainably reduce our CO2 emissions."

Thorsten Meincke, global board member for air & ocean freight at DB Schenker, said, ”Sustainability is not just a nice-to-have. It is our declared goal to transport more goods in an environmentally friendly way. In doing so, we roll up our sleeves where it is particularly important to be active – in air transport! Together with Lufthansa Cargo, we offer a regular carbon-neutral cargo flight connection. We are now celebrating this milestone on an aircraft for everyone to see. We are proud that we have already been able to inspire many customers with our green offer. With this special jet, we are driving awareness for our sustainability partnership around the world.”

Following the first CO2-neutral freighter rotation by Lufthansa Cargo and DB Schenker from Frankfurt to Shanghai in November 2020, the companies offer a 100 percent greenhouse gas-neutral freight connection between Europe and Asia throughout the entire Lufthansa Cargo summer flight schedule.

The fuel requirement on the Frankfurt-Shanghai route and back will be covered entirely by SAF. This will save around 174 tonnes of conventional kerosene every week. Sustainable aviation fuel is produced primarily from biomass waste, for example from used vegetable and cooking oils. During combustion in the engine, therefore, only CO2 is released which was previously removed from the atmosphere during the growth of the plants. The greenhouse gases produced during the production and transport of the fuel are also fully compensated for with certified offset projects. This ensures the complete greenhouse gas neutrality of the flights.