Carbon neutral air cargo
It is an encounter of the third kind: IAG Cargo, the cargo division of International Airlines Group, and freight forwarder Kuehne + Nagel have completed a chain of 16 charter flights from Stuttgart to Atlanta - the first ones to be carbon neutral.
The key was to secure 1.2 million litres of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) beforehand. The entire project utilised aircraft primarily intended for passenger traffic, but temporarily operated as freighters.
The last of the British Airways B787-900 flights left Stuttgart on 26 June with an average of 45 t of automotive spares and other industrial goods destined for Atlanta.
Since it began its charter service last year, Kuehne + Nagel has now completed more than 300 charters - all carbon neutral either via offsetting or use of alternative fuel.
As SAF still produces some CO2 emissions, complete carbon neutrality was achieved by substituting each litre of jet fuel kerosene used with 1.25 litres of SAF. (sh)