Learning from the Dutch: Commitment to alternative aviation fuels required as part of coalition agreement

Climate-friendly aviation in the medium term is only possible by the substantial use of alternative aviation fuels. This realization has prompted the Dutch government to act now. As announced on Tuesday, a consortium of leading industrial companies and the government will significantly expand the production of sustainable bio-kerosene in Rotterdam. aireg keeps on calling for sucha much-needed public-private partnership in Germany. Siegfried Knecht, Chairman of the Board of aireg : “CDU, CSU and SPD have to agree to rapidly accelerate the market introduction of alternative aviation fuels in Germany as part of their current coalition negotiations. The aviation industry intends to make a sustainable contribution to the energy change in the transport sector. Alternative aviation fuels have a key role to play. However, their potential can only be realized, if government and industry act together, just as the Netherlands are demonstrating with Bioport.” The letter of intent forming Bioport aims to take advantage of the favorable local conditions of the Netherlands by taking a lead in this future market. Biogenic raw materials arriving in the Port of Rotterdam will be processed in an existing biorefinery and transported by pipeline to three of the largest European airports. The partners of Bioport, next to the Dutch government, are the airline KLM, the fuel producer Neste Oil, Amsterdam Airport, the Port of Rotterdam and the trading company SkyNRG. However, the previous efforts of the German Federal Government lack a corresponding ambition. Alternative aviation fuels are in fact mentioned in the mobility and fuels strategy (MKS) passed in the summer of 2013, but the MKS does not provide a path for expansion. aireg therefore submitted a proposal of how a National Development Plan Alternative Aviation Fuels should look like:

• The raw materials strategy of the Federal Government must take into account the growing importance of biogenic raw materials. In addition to adjusting the support mechanisms, future raw material and energy partnerships need to be extended to biogenic raw materials.

• The energy transition in transport will only succeed if next generation biorefineries are built as soon as possible. Similar to the Environmental Innovation Programme of the Ministry of the Environment the capacity is to be created in public-private cooperation.