Lufthansa Cargo, Compensaid enable CO2-neutral cargo flights

December 15, 2020: As of the summer flight schedule, Lufthansa Cargo plans to offer CO2-neutral airfreight on a regular basis as a product for the shipping industry. The offer was jointly developed by Lufthansa Cargo and Compensaid, the central compensation platform of the Lufthansa Group.

Once customers have determined their CO2 emissions, they can offset them by using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). In addition, it is also possible to offset through reforestation projects. If SAF is used, Compensaid ensures that the corresponding sustainable fuel is purchased and fueled to compensate for the resulting emissions.

For this purpose, Compensaid works closely with Lufthansa Group Fuel Management and with SAF manufacturers located around the world. Digital technologies of the compensation platform, which was launched in 2019, enable Compensaid to make the process from calculation to fueling transparent and efficient.

Gleb Tritus, managing director, Lufthansa Innovation Hub, said, "CO2 compensation in the business customer sector is an important and effective step towards CO2-neutral aviation. Through the larger B2B volumes, we are increasing demand and thus promoting awareness, availability and cost-effectiveness of alternative fuels."

Since November, Lufthansa Cargo customers can easily check the CO2 emissions of their shipment's transport during the booking process. This is made possible by the new online booking portal eBooking, which Lufthansa Cargo launched in November. With the integrated carbon calculator, all customers have the opportunity to determine the CO2 emissions caused by the transport and to offset them in the future. At the end of November, Lufthansa Cargo and DB Schenker already carried out the first CO2-neutral freight routing, which was completely covered by Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

Peter Gerber, CEO Lufthansa Cargo, said, "Lufthansa Cargo supplies people and markets with urgent goods and raw materials. We are part and driver of globalization, which stands for economic progress and opens up new opportunities for every individual. And that does not exclude sustainability. We will focus more strongly on it - both in an economic and social sense. In addition to investments in a modern freighter fleet, our commitment to alternative fuels also contributes to the United Nations' 'Climate Action' sustainability goal. Through the possibility of using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), we are actively driving forward research in this area and can thus relieve the environment in the long term.”

SAF is added to conventional kerosene as so-called drop-in-fuel. The SAF quantity corresponding to the fuel requirements of a flight, for example, is fed into the fueling system at Frankfurt Airport. This means that the SAF is distributed to all flights that are afterwards fueled. However, CO2 neutrality is attributed to this particular flight.