Alternative aviation fuels are the key to carbon-neutral air transport

The transport sector will make a significant contribution to the success of the energy transition. The aviation industry has set itself ambitious efficiency and climate protection goals. aireg greatly welcomes the fact that the German government has demonstrated in its Mobility and Fuel Strategy (MKS) what genuine contributions the various modes of transport can make to achieving these objectives.

The Chairman of aireg’s Management Board, Siegfried Knecht, stated at the launch of the MKS dialogue today: “The aviation industry has achieved substantial increases in efficiency in recent years. In order to reduce the CO2 emissions caused by continued growth, we must and will use the great potentials for aviation offered by alternative fuels. We do have an alternative to liquid fuels in the foreseeable future. Therefore, the German government should take the opportunity provided by the MKS to accelerate the market maturity of alternative aviation fuels. aireg as a not-profit making organisation has developed recommendations on how this can be achieved in a few years for the benefit of the environment and the economy.”

Numerous test flights in Germany and around the world have proven the technical safety of alternative aviation fuels and two manufacturing processes have been approved so far. Their products have the same specifications as the conventional aviation Jet A-1 fuel and can be added to this up to a share of 50%. The great challenge now is to build a sustainable and economic supply chain on an industrial scale. As with other technologies in the field of renewable energies, start-up funding is required.

In 2010, the members of IATA (International Air Transport Association) set the goals of reducing specific fuel consumption by up to 1.5% annually by 2020, of enabling CO2-neutral growth in the traffic and transport sector from 2020, and of halving CO2 emissions in 2050 compared to the 2005 volume. aireg accepts these goals and is looking for answers on how Germany can contribute to them.

The former fuel strategy the German government from the year 2004 did not take into consideration important modes of transport such as aviation. The plan now is that the new MKS take an open approach with respect to technology and energy sources and investigate within a period of one year how all relevant modes of transport can reduce their final energy consumption and CO2 emissions.