Lufthansa leans into sustainability with SAF partnership

Lufthansa is prioritizing sustainability with a handful of new initiatives aimed at reducing carbon emissions. The German carrier signed a memorandum of understanding with Swiss energy company VARO Energy for sustainable aviation fuel production for passenger and cargo flights. VARO aims to supply 260,000 tonnes of SAF per year from 2026, according to the MoU. The fuel will be made from biogenic residual materials such as used cooking oil, which is then mixed with kerosene at a maximum level of 50% SAF for use on flights, according to a Feb. 2 release. In its pure form, the fuel can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 80% compared with 100% kerosene. [caption id="attachment_99360" align="alignright" width="460"] Lufthansa Cargo has developed a sustainable surface film, known as AeroSHARK, for aircraft fuselages and engine nacelles, designed to reduce aircraft fuel consumption through improved aerodynamics. (Photo/Boeing)[/caption] Once manufactured, the SAF could be used to supply airports such as Lufthansa’s hub at Munich International Airport (MUC) as early as 2026. The SAF initiative is the latest venture to advance Lufthansa’s goal of halving its CO2 emissions by 2030 compared with 2029 levels and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. With its plan validated by the independent Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) in August 2022, Lufthansa became the first carrier in Europe with a CO2 reduction target in line with goals from the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. Lufthansa has been a strong supporter of SAF in recent years, planning several initiatives to make the fuel more widely available. In September 2022, Lufthansa signed an MoU with Vienna-headquartered energy company OMV to receive 800,000 tonnes of SAF for seven years starting sometime in 2023. In October 2022, Japan-based forwarder Kintetsu World Express (KWE) opted into Lufthansa Cargo’s Sustainable Choice program to use 700 tonnes of SAF for its flights through October 2023, which will reduce KWE’s carbon emissions by about 5% for the year. Sustainability through ‘shark skin’ Meanwhile, Lufthansa Cargo has developed a sustainable surface film, known as AeroSHARK, for aircraft fuselages and engine nacelles, designed to reduce aircraft fuel consumption through improved aerodynamics. The technology will be used on all eleven 777 freighters this year, according to a Feb. 3 release. The surface film technology, through a pattern consisting of 50-micrometer riblets, mimics the microscopic structure of shark skin, hence the name AeroSHARK. The technology was developed by maintenance and repair division Lufthansa Technik in partnership with chemical company BASF. Freighters equipped with AeroSHARK will likely have fuel savings of slightly more than 1% per year, or more than 4,000 tonnes of kerosene and nearly 13,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions. The savings account for roughly 53 individual cargo flights from Frankfurt (FRA) to Shanghai (PVG), the release stated. Although the technology is only being put into practice now, the beneficial properties of shark skin date back to the 1980s, a Lufthansa Technik spokesperson told Air Cargo Next . It took “several decades to finally develop [and certify] a feasible technical application that is capable of withstanding the harsh operational conditions in commercial aviation and complying with the extremely high safety requirements for air travel,” the spokesperson said. The technology was in development since 2011, but the first large-scale technical application of AeroSHARK came in late 2019, when the Lufthansa Technik team tested it on the entire surface of a 747-400, when previous tests had only been in wind tunnels or simulations. Ensuring flight safety The required supplemental type certification process for aircraft to enter into service with the shark skin took more than a year, the spokesperson noted. “The entire process encompassed numerous criteria that range from materials properties [high velocity, temperature deltas, radiation, resilience against fluids, etc.] and computational fluid dynamics to the entire application process and even hours-long test flights in temporarily restricted airspace,” the spokesperson said. The test flight requirements went beyond what commercial aircraft experience in daily passenger operations to ensure the shark skin had no negative impact on handling and flight safety, the spokesperson added. With the rollout of AeroSHARK on cargo planes, Lufthansa Technik expects its passenger 777s to be equipped with the technology this year, along with twelve 777s operated by Lufthansa subsidiary Swiss Air Lines.

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