Lufthansa Airlines, together with its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich and Lufthansa CityLine, have successfully passed the strict European EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) regulations.
This achievement underlines the airline's commitment to environmental responsibility. The external EMAS environmental reporting confirms the continuous development and in-depth implementation of the environmental management system. Audits and inspections provide an independent and comprehensive picture of the processes, and conversations with department specialists provide insight into the values of the employees.
“The renewed EMAS validation is of great importance for Lufthansa Airlines and Lufthansa CityLine. Through the joint integrated validation, we jointly promote sustainability issues in different business areas. We take our responsibility to reduce the environmental impact of flying and always use the necessary resources as efficiently as possible,” says Jens Ritter, CEO of Lufthansa Airlines.
EMAS is an environmental management and auditing system developed by the European Union, the requirements of which companies can voluntarily adjust. The company's environmental management system is assessed in detail by external auditors.
In 2018, Lufthansa Airlines introduced a certified environmental management system at the Munich location, and in 2022 this was merged with Lufthansa CityLine. The Frankfurt location was added in December 2023. This year, for the first time, the joint audit and validation for the Frankfurt and Munich sites was completed for Lufthansa Airlines and Lufthansa CityLine, and a joint environmental statement was published.
In total, approximately 40 environmental coordinators work in the various departments of Lufthansa Airlines and Lufthansa CityLine. They ensure that the environmental organization is broad in scope and that technical environmental issues are consistently promoted.
environmental program
Important measures from the environmental program have been implemented. An example of this is the “Reduced Engine Taxi-In” procedure, in which one or more engines are switched off after landing in the parking lot, which contributes to the most efficient possible flight operations. By implementing this measure and establishing it as a standard operating procedure for the Airbus A320 fleet, up to 2.750 tons of kerosene could be saved annually.
In addition to improvements in flight operations, the 2023 environmental program also achieved success in reducing onboard waste. The ability for passengers on intra-European flights to pre-order meals, which has been in place since early 2023, allows better planning of the production and loading of fresh products, reducing waste on board.
In addition to these measures already implemented, Lufthansa Airlines is also focusing on the important topics of the future. Together with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Airbus, MTU Aero Engines and Munich Airport, Lufthansa Airlines is planning a technology cooperative for power-to-liquid (PtL) fuels. In this context, a declaration of intent has been signed to join forces of leading aviation companies and the scientific community. The aim is to accelerate the technological selection, market introduction and industrial scale-up of PtL fuels in Germany.
The Lufthansa Group has set itself ambitious climate protection goals and aims for a neutral CO₂ footprint by 2050.
Due to its basic orientation, Lufthansa Airlines continuously initiates projects and measures to reduce the environmental impact of flying and use the required resources as efficiently as possible.
fleet modernization
For effective climate protection, Lufthansa Airlines, as part of the Lufthansa Group, relies on accelerated fleet modernization, the continuous optimization of flight operations, the use and further development of sustainable aviation fuels, and offers for private and business customers to make aviation more sustainable. In addition, Lufthansa Airlines has been actively supporting global climate and weather research for many years.
The Lufthansa Group has set itself ambitious climate protection goals and aims for a neutral CO₂ footprint by 2050. By 2030, the aviation group wants to halve its net CO₂ emissions compared to 2019 through reduction and compensation measures. The reduction target was validated in August 2022 by the independent Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi).
To systematically improve environmental performance, the Lufthansa Group is continuously expanding the implementation of environmental management systems within the Group companies. For example, SWISS's environmental management system was recently validated for the first time according to EMAS for the reporting year 2023. Austrian Airlines was also successfully validated again for 2023. The Italian airline Air Dolomiti, part of Lufthansa Airlines, has also been EMAS validated.
