`An active contribution to sustainable environmental protection,` is how Lufthansa CEO Wolfgang Mayrhuber described…
`An active contribution to sustainable environmental protection,` is how Lufthansa CEO Wolfgang Mayrhuber described the reduction in fuel consumption of the airline`s aircraft to a new low of 4.5 liters per 100 passenger kilometers. This further improvement has been achieved through more efficient aircraft utilization, the deployment of a modern fleet and intelligent, flexible management. This is just one example of the results reported in the current issue of `Balance` – Lufthansa`s magazine on Aviation, the Environment and Sustainability – released in Munich.
Since 1991, Lufthansa has lowered its specific fuel consumption by 27 percent. While the airline`s transport performance increased by 125 percent from 1991 to 2002, its fuel consumption and CO2 emissions only rose by 57 percent. Consequently, Lufthansa has achieved more than half of its growth with no additional impact on the environment. The airline has set itself the long-term goal of lowering its specific fuel consumption by a total of 38 percent by the year 2012, down from 1991 levels.
Today, Lufthansa already operates 47 three-liter aircraft. The course for additional improvements has been set by the airline`s commitment to acquiring further fuel-efficient, environmentally compatible and quiet aircraft, such as the A340-600s, A330s and A380s currently on order. Another landmark investment in environmental protection is the solar-powered electrical plant on the roof of Munich Airport`s new Terminal 2, which went into operation today, a collaborative project joining Lufthansa, BP solar, Munich Airport Authorities and B.A.U.M., Germany`s Environmental Management Association. `This is the largest solar-powered energy plant operating at any airport worldwide,` announced Mayrhuber. `Environmental protection through innovation and sustainability through investment are essential elements of Lufthansa Group strategy.`
For Lufthansa, reducing aircraft noise remains a top-priority goal. That is why the airline has chosen to order the new Airbus A330-300 with the quietest engines currently available. Today, the Lufthansa fleet already fulfills 85 percent of the new stricter Chapter 4 noise regulations, despite the fact that these limits will only go into effect in 2006. In the framework of the research project `Quiet Traffic,` Lufthansa also cooperates continuously with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) on ways of making the aircraft currently in operation even quieter.
`Acting responsibly enjoys a high priority not only among the members of Lufthansa`s Executive Board,` stated Mayrhuber in the editorial of the sustainability magazine, `but also among our more than 90,000 employees around the world. Their commitment to environmental care is an active part of our corporate culture.`
In a detailed Facts and Figures supplement, the annual publication `Balance` provides a comprehensive insight into both environmental impact and environmental care at the Lufthansa Aviation Group. Furthermore, it informs readers on a wide range of topics concerning air transport, sustainability and the environment through reports, interviews and feature articles.
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