EMAS, a system for environmental management developed by the European Union, is voluntarily adopted by companies. The system undergoes detailed review by external auditors.
In 2000, Lufthansa CityLine was the first airline globally to adopt an environmental concept and receive EMAS approval. In 2018, Lufthansa Airlines introduced a certified environmental management system at its Munich site, merging it with Lufthansa CityLine in 2022. The Frankfurt site was added in December 2023. This year marked the first joint audit and validation for both sites for Lufthansa Airlines and Lufthansa CityLine, culminating in a joint environmental statement.
A team of around 40 environmental coordinators across various departments ensures that technical environmental concerns are consistently addressed. Measures from their environmental program include procedures like "Reduced Engine Taxi-In," which conserves up to 2,750 tons of kerosene annually by shutting down engines after landing on the apron.
Additional initiatives include reducing onboard waste through pre-order meal options on intra-European flights since early 2023, improving production planning for fresh products.
Looking ahead, Lufthansa Airlines is collaborating with entities such as the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Airbus, MTU Aero Engines, and Munich Airport on technology cooperation for power-to-liquid (PtL) fuels. A letter of intent has been signed to accelerate technology selection, market launch, and industrial scaling of PtL fuels in Germany.
Lufthansa Airlines continues to initiate projects aimed at minimizing aviation's environmental impact while promoting resource efficiency. As part of these efforts within the broader Lufthansa Group framework, strategies include fleet modernization, flight operations optimization, sustainable aviation fuel development, and support for climate research.
The Lufthansa Group aims to achieve a neutral carbon footprint by 2050. By 2030, it seeks to halve net CO₂ emissions compared to 2019 levels through reduction and compensation measures validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) in August 2022.
To improve its environmental performance systematically, other group companies like SWISS were recently validated according to EMAS for reporting year 2023; Austrian Airlines also achieved successful validation again for that year; Air Dolomiti followed suit with its own EMAS validation.
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