It’s a BUSY DAY today at LufthansaFlyer!!!
Lufthasa announced that it will be concluding it’s biofuel testing initiatives by conducting the first ever transatlantic flight using biofuels. The flight, LH418, is scheduled for Thursday January 12. It will depart Frankfurt(FRA) at 1:05p an arrive at Washingon DC’s Dulles(IAD) at 3:50p. Lufthansa has been pioneering the use of biofuels for quite some time on test routes in Germany and is now expanding the test to include this long haul flight.
Here’s a copy of the press release in its entirety:
Lufthansa to conduct first-ever transatlantic commercial biofuel flight to U.S. on a Boeing 747-400
January 12th flight from Frankfurt to Washington, D.C. concludes six-month program testing long-term effects of biofuel on engines
East Meadow, NY, January 9, 2012 – Today Lufthansa announced that it will conclude its successful long-term biofuel study by operating the world’s first biofuel-powered transatlantic commercial flight to the United States. On Thursday, January 12, 2012, Lufthansa will fly a Boeing 747-400 carrying approximately 40 tons of biofuel mix from Frankfurt to Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. Flight LH418 will depart from Frankfurt at 1:05pm and is scheduled to arrive in DC at 3:50pm. On this flight alone, Lufthansa expects to reduce CO2 emissions by 38 tons.
Through its pioneering burnFAIR project, Lufthansa was the first airline to use biofuel on regularly scheduled commercial flights in an effort to study the long-term effect of biofuel on engine maintenance and engine life, as well as the environmental impact. From July 15 to December 27, 2011, a Lufthansa Airbus A321 operating along the Hamburg-Frankfurt route had one of its engines powered by a 50-50 blend of regular fuel and biosynthetic kerosene. In all, 1,187 biofuel flights were conducted, and according to initial calculations, the total consumption of the biokerosene mix amounted to 1,556 tons and CO2 emissions were reduced by 1,471 tons.
“Our burnFAIR project went off smoothly and to our fullest satisfaction. As expected, biofuel proved its worth in daily flight operations,” confirmed Joachim Buse, Vice President Aviation Biofuel at Lufthansa.
Biosynthetic kerosene is just as reliable as conventional jet fuel but with less environmental impact. Thanks to the higher energy density of biofuel, the fuel consumption of the corresponding engine is reduced by more than one percent. Furthermore, biosynthetic kerosene is free of sulphur and aromatic compounds.
The principle behind biofuel is based on the carbon cycle through which plants withdraw CO2 from the atmosphere via photosynthesis. When aircraft engines burn biofuel, CO2 is released back into the atmosphere at a rate of about 50 percent less than conventional fossil fuels.
“As a next step, we will focus on the suitability, availability, sustainability and certification of raw materials. But first we must tap into this market. However, Lufthansa will only continue this practical trial if we can secure a supply of sustainable, certified raw materials,” Mr. Buse said.
Lufthansa’s innovative biofuel program is part of the airline’s continued commitment to limiting the environmental effects of flying through the sparing use of resources, participation in climate research, and ongoing improvements to air and ground efficiencies, among other initiatives.
More information about the project is available at: http://www.puresky.de/en/
try flightradar24.com. It will have the tail numbers.
the q is going to be series order
Lufthansaflyer, two last questions, how do you get flightaware to spit out tail numbers? and what is the significance of B744/Q vs 744? new vs old F refresh?
LH 419 will not be a biofuel flight since they won’t be able to get that here and I dont think they’ll bring enough of their own to take back. Actually LH is using the last of its biofuel for the FRA-IAD flight. apparently biofuel inventory is low.
would it be safe to say the 419 return would not have the bio-fuel blend? on a side note, no major modifications have to be done to the engines correct?
I am not worried about flying with the blend, just curious about the equipment !
@cook In the PR it said the flight will carry 40 tons of bio-fuel mix. Not sure how to interpret it, but sounds like it may be blend. Their previous flights were 50/50 blends.
Og +1. I would fly this flight with confidence. While they don’t spell-out the details, one must assume that this Trans-Atlantic flight in intend to be powered by 100% bio-fuel, for the entire flight and for all four engines. I would ride and with complete confidence. They suggest that the savings are about 1%. That may seem a very small number, but… when one considers the total fuel burn of a West-bound transatlantic 744, 1% is a bit more than chump-change for this chump! I hope that it proves their case for bio-fuels and is a a winner. Why would I be willing to ride this experimental flight? WIth a firm grip, if it was not known-safe, our friends at Lufthansa would not attempt it. They may not much care about the welfare of the 300-350 souls in steerage class, but they are really fussy about looking after their expensive airplanes! Ha. I’d fly this one in an instant and I DO HOPE that it proves their point about French Fries and Schnitzle. Go KH!
@OG – I have not seen it anywhere yet. Perhaps flightaware.com will have it in the next day or so.
Smart. any mention of which 744 they will be using? (tail registration?)