Lufthansa Starts Daily Passenger Flights Using Biofuels
They will continue initially for six months as part of a project studying the long-term impact of sustainable biofuels on aircraft performance.
Airbus announced July 15 that Lufthansa has started the world's first daily commercial passenger flights using biofuel. Four return daily flights between Hamburg and Frankfurt will use a biofuel blend using 50 percent Hydro-processed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA), following approval for the use of that type of fuel by the world fuels standards body, ASTM, on July 1, and publication of the approved standards July 13.
The airplane is an Airbus A321, and the manufacturer is providing technical assistance and monitoring the fuel properties. The flights will continue for six months initially as part of the Burn Fair research project to study the long-term impact of sustainable biofuels on aircraft performance.
"Lufthansa is the world's first airline to utilize biofuel in daily flight operations. This is a further consistent step in the sustainability strategy which Lufthansa has for years been successfully pursuing. We want to secure future sustainable mobility by conducting research and development work today," said Christoph Franz, Lufthansa's CEO. Tom Enders, the president and CEO of Airbus, called the flights "a significant step forward in our industry-wide pursuit of a sustainable future for aviation."