Lufthansa Group, the German aviation group responsible for Lufthansa and multiple other European airlines, has announced it will be further expanding its programme to make its flight operations more sustainable.
OPS Sustainability Expands
Lufthansa Group launched the programme, named ‘OPS Sustainability’, in 2022. It targets individual areas of flight operations such as the cabin, ground processes, and more, in order to identify potential inefficiencies and correct them by developing effective solutions. This is carried out with the help of experts in multiple areas across Lufthansa Group, meaning that solutions can be worked out and implemented quickly and effectively across the network.
Since 2022, more than 90 different initiatives have resulted in a saving of around 54,000 metric tonnes of kerosene, thereby avoiding the release of 170,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions, the equivalent of 640 return flights between Munich and New York on an Airbus A350-900 aircraft. Lufthansa Group has set a goal to avoid an additional 50,000 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions across its airlines by 2028.
Grazia Vittadini, Chief Technology Officer of Lufthansa Group, said the following:
“We embed sustainability where it has the most immediate impact – in the day-to-day operations of our airlines. Our OPS Sustainability program is already delivering measurable efficiency gains and environmental improvements. At the same time, we are investing more than ever in highly fuel-efficient, state-of-the-art aircraft.”
Data-driven Sustainability Measures
With the new phase of the programme now underway, more measures are being rolled out across the Group to pursue a data-driven and practical approach to optimising flight operations. For example, the use of digital applications and software will be used to make precise decisions about the amount of fuel required to operate a flight, based on previous fuel consumption data. Other measures the group is implementing include taxiing and approach procedures, more demand-oriented water loading, and more precise flight planning. Employees on board and on the ground will also receive training linked to sustainability and making conscious decisions for greater efficiency.
Lufthansa Technik, the Group’s subsidiary which handles aircraft repair, maintenance, and overhaul, has also collaborated with BASF, a German multinational chemical company, to produce a product called ‘AeroSHARK’, a film which has already been applied to more than 20 Lufthansa Group aircraft. The new technology mimics shark skin to make aircraft more aerodynamic and therefore lowers fuel consumption and CO2 emissions on every flight by around one percent.
Do you think Lufthansa Group is committed enough to making air travel sustainable? Let us know in the comments.
