Renewable fuel used for the first time internationally
January 16, 2012, 09:12 am
Neste Oil's NExBTL renewable aviation fuel was recently used for the first time on an international Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Washington D.C. The flight marked the end of a six month trial of the fuel between Neste Oil and Lufthansa, which included 1,187 flights between Frankfurt and Hamburg using the renewable aviation fuel.
Lufthansa predicts the renewable biofuel will reduce emissions of carbon dioxide from aircrafts by as much as 38 tons, or the equivalent of the amount of carbon dioxide released by six flights from Frankfurt to Berlin. Throughout the entire trial, Lufthansa reported 1,500 tons of carbon dioxide were eliminated due to the higher energy density of the fuel. Consumption of the fuel was also reduced by more than 1 percent.
"The fuel behaved excellently and is perfect for aviation use," said Joachim Buse, Lufthansa's vice president of aviation biofuel. "There were absolutely no problems during the flights, and the aircraft engines performed exactly as they would flying on conventional fossil-based Jet A-1."
The success of the renewable biofuel is part of a global initiative to reduce airline carbon dioxide emissions 50 percent by 2050 compared with emissions recorded in 2005, Travel Daily News reported.
"If we want to protect our climate and thus our future in a sustainable manner, we need innovative ideas and technologies and an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels - particularly in view of the growing demand for mobility worldwide," said Christopher Franz, chairman of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG.
Another way pilots are protecting the skies is through investment in pilot insurance to safeguard from the unexpected.
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