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Environmental measures

Lufthansa Cargo is continuously working on the optimization of operational measures on ground and in the air to make operations even more efficient to cut fuel consumption and therefore carbon emissions. Lufthansa Cargo guides itself by the – of Lufthansa developed – IATA “Four pillars strategy for climate protection”. With this structure the whole spread of practical measures and efficient developments are covered. Within the framework of our environmental management system the set of measures is continuously checked and developed.

Technological progress

Airlines and aircraft manufacturers cooperate closely in developing the most fuel-efficient aircraft for operations in global networks. Cutting-edge technology has led to more efficient aerodynamics, lighter-weight aircraft construction and power-plants that consume less fuel. Those efforts have helped the aviation industry to reduce specific fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 70 per cent since 1970.
Lufthansa Cargo has undertaken a fleet-rollover of the Boeing 747-200 for the more efficient MD-11 until 2004. Now with the purchase of five Boeing 777F the specific emissions of our fleet can be reduced even further. The Boeing 777F is currently the freighter with the best environmental performance with roughly 20 percent less CO2 emissions than the MD-11. The first of the five ordered B777F will be in operation by November 2013.
Lufthansa Cargo has already invested in the B777F in 2009 through its subsidiary AeroLogic (joint venture between DHL Express and Lufthansa Cargo). AeroLogic now operates eight B777F.
Also the B747-400ERF, used in the 2006 founded joint venture Jade Cargo International, are very efficient and low in emissions.
Lufthansa Cargo tries to continuously increase the efficiency of the freighters by further technical measures.
For example, the engine cleaning is now carried out more frequently, since it increases the performance and life of the engines significantly. Thereby 12,000 tons of CO2 can be saved yearly.

Operational measures

Equipping the fleet with modern and environment friendly aircraft is not the only step Lufthansa Cargo takes to cut fuel burn and emissions. In recent years, Lufthansa has considerably improved utilization of aircraft capacities, allowing rising demand to be met with lower specific fuel consumption.
More than 50 measures were generated by our pilots in the project called “Fuelsaving”. That way we constantly optimize our flight routes to reduce fuel consumption by avoiding detours. Through optimization of the route network in the Far East, for example, CO2 emissions were reduced by 64,000 tonnes annually (for comparison: a German citizen is accountable for about ten tonnes of CO2 per year). Furthermore Lufthansa Cargo relies on varies flight speed to allow freighters making better use of favorable tailwinds on long-haul flights. This new approach in flight management saves the environment approximately 18,000 tonnes of CO2 yearly. Other measures include more accurate assessment of the fuel needs and improved approach procedures, lowering emissions by an annual 23,000 tonnes of CO2.
Trendsetting for us is the intelligent networking of different modes of transport. We are one link in the entire logistics chain and aim to implement mobility through partnership rather than competition – for instance, we shift road-feeder traffic onto rail or sea transport.

Aircraft loading processes (weight & balance) and our loading equipment are subject to steady improvement: Bad weight distribution and balance in the cargo hold and transportation of unnecessary kilos increases fuel consumption. One example in this direction is the lightweight container. Together with our sub company Jettainer, 1,000 containers have been tested; made of composite plastics, they are 12 kilos lighter than the 80-kilo standard aluminum containers. Replacement of the aluminum containers by the new lightweights over the next 10 years could save an estimated 27,500 tonnes of kerosene or 100,000 tonnes of CO2.

Improved infrastructure

The field of infrastructure is in indirect duties and responsibilities of Lufthansa Cargo. That includes the efficient use of airspace and the needs-orientation of airport infrastructure,
To enable more direct flights and a more efficient air traffic control, airspace over Europe is being restructured in the project Single European Sky (SES). The Lufthansa Airline Group takes on a supporting and driving role. Further information on the topic of SES is available in the Lufthansa Policy Brief.
A needs-oriented airport infrastructure is the responsibility of the airport operator. Here as well Lufthansa Cargo is in regular dialogue with the airport operators.

Economic measures

As a complement to the other three pillars the instrument of emissions trading in aviation will be implemented for air traffic in the near future.
Lufthansa Cargo supports the position of Lufthansa Airline Group and IATA that an emission trading system has to be a global system and should not be restricted to Europe. Further information on that is available at Lufthansa Policy Brief.

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