200 more biofuel flights by KLM using cooking oil – while Lufthansa using Indonesian jatropha

Friends of the Earth International say the German airline Lufthansa has recently been using biokerosene made from jatropha, an inedible plant. The airline claims that flying on biokerosene is good for the environment despite numerous studies claiming the opposite.   The jatropha used for Lufthansa’s test flights is grown in Indonesia by small scale farmers.  The jatropha plants are often being grown at the cost of food production – jatropha competes with food crops such as maize for land – and the farmers are making a loss on the sale of the plants, so are struggling to survive. FoEI is asking people to write to Lufthansa and ask them to stop using biokerosene to fly their planes. KLM is continuing with part biofuelled flights, 4 per week, using some biofuel from used cooking oil, between Schiphol and Paris.



New Biofuel flights for KLM

AMSTELVEEN, February 21, 2012 — This week KLM started with the continuation of the total 200 biofuel flights from Schiphol Airport to Charles de Gaulle, Paris.

The purpose of this series of flights is to demonstrate that it is possible to mix sustainable biofuel on a serie of scheduled flights. Herewith, KLM wants to stimulate the developments in the field of sustainable air traffic. This is done in collaboration with the WWF. [Very regrettable that the WWF branch in the Netherlands has done this. Not all country branches of WWF agree] .

KLM believes that only a sustainable alternative to current fossil kerosene actually leads to reduction of CO2 emissions in the medium term.  For this purpose,  since late 2007 KLM is doing research for sustainably produced biofuels * and hopes that more parties will follow its example in order to decrease the price of biofuel.

The four daily flights are operated on fuel mixed with some biofuel. The biofuel is made from discarded frying oil and developed and delivered by SkyNRG, from which KLM is co-initiator. Already 7 years in a row AIR FRANCE KLM is sector leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.

* A biofuel is considered sustainable when its cultivation is not at the expense of food production, or biodiversity and does not lead to deforestation, overuse of water and pesticides. In addition, there are also various social criteria.

http://newswire.enviro.aero/newswire/2012/feb/21/new-biofuel-flights-for-klm


earlier

KLM operates first scheduled flight on 50% biokerosene from used cooking oil in both engines

Date added: June 30, 2011     KLM has became the first airline to operate a commercial flight carrying 171 passengers on 50% biokerosene. A Boeing 737-800 flew from Schiphol to Paris.  KLM says they would be operating more than 200 flights to Paris on biokerosene in September. The fuel was supplied by Dynamic Fuels via SkyNRG, the consortium co-founded by KLM in 2009. “KLM is open to using different raw materials …. as long as they meet a range of sustainability criteria”.   Click here to view full story…

 

KLM to launch commercial flights in September Amsterdam – Paris on biofuel (? used cooking oil ?)

Date added: June 23, 2011    KLM says it will fly more than 200 flights between Amsterdam and Paris on biokerosene made from used cooking oil.   It does not say what percent of the fuel the used oil will be. KLM then says it will use other fuels too, as long as they meet their sustainability criteria and include substantial CO2 reductions.  In practice there is nowhere near enough used cooking oil available, most of which is already used as biodiesel for land vehicles, and other uses.     Click here to view full story…


 

Friends of the Earth International

 

Call on Lufthansa to stop using biokerosene

Please write to Lufthansa and ask them to stop using biokerosene to fly their planes.

indonesian farmer jatropha 2

The German airline Lufthansa has recently been using biokerosene made from jatropha, an inedible plant. The airline claims that flying on biokerosene is good for the environment despite numerous studies claiming the opposite.

The jatropha used for Lufthansa’s test flights is grown in Indonesia by small scale farmers.

A recent visit by Friends of the Earth Netherlands (Milieudefensie) revealed that the plants are often being grown at the cost of food production – jatropha competes with food crops such as maize for land – and the farmers are making a loss on the sale of the plants. As a consequence they are struggling to survive.

Please write to Lufthansa and ask them to stop using biokerosene to fly their planes.

http://www.foei.org/en/get-involved/take-action/call-on-lufthansa-to-stop-using-biokerosene

 


 

see also

 

Availability and sustainability key challenges, says Lufthansa, as biofuel trials end with first commercial transatlantic flight

Date added: January 26, 2012

The six-month trial by Lufthansa using biofuel blends on the route between Hamburg and Frankfurt has ended with its first scheduled commercial transatlantic biofuel flight on January 12. In all, 1,187 scheduled flights were carried out between July and December using an Airbus A321 with a 50-50 blend of regular fuel and biosynthetic kerosene in one engine. Total consumption of the biokerosene mix amounted to 1,556 tonnes, says the airline, and initial calculations suggest CO2 emissions were reduced by 1,471 tonnes as a result. [Based on what evidence ?? That is assuming the fuel produces overall about two thirds less carbon than conventional kerosene ? **]    Click here to view full story…

 

New FoE report on jatropha cultivation for aviation biokerosene in Java

Date added: February 16, 2012

A new report by Friends of the Earth Netherlands, and Friends of the Earth Indonesia investigates the situation in Java, where jatropha and other crops are being grown to produce biokerosene for Lufthansa’s “Burn Fair” programme. The report finds that Javanese farmers and workers have converted some of their land from food to fuel crops, in return for ridiculously low payments. They have had a fall in income, conflict and frustration. Indonesian farmers feel the lifeblood of Indonesia will be tapped for the benefit of wealthier people in Europe and elsewhere. Biofuel crops are putting pressure on land for food. The report says this growing of biofuels for aviation fuel is putting a double pressure on the poor in the global south: both in climate change and food prices.  Click here to view full story…

 

Air China test-flies 50% jatropha biofuel-powered Boeing 747

Date added: October 30, 2011     An Air China Boeing 747-400 took off from the Beijing airport, flew for 2 hours, and landed back at Beijing. It used 50% jatropha. This is one of a series of research projects launched last year by the US and China, the world’s two biggest oil consumers. The fuel was developed by Boeing, Honeywell UOP, Chinese oil company PetroChina and Air China. They say a commercial biofuel should be available in three to five years.   Click here to view full story…

Lufthansa will get its biofuel from Neste Oil, with palm oil likely to be sneaked into the mix

Date added: July 22, 2011     This is a very worrying article about biofuel Lufthansa will be getting from Neste Oil, which is well known for using large quantities of palm oil.  It appears that though Lufthansa is saying all the suitable greenwash things about its flights at present, using only camelina, jatropha and animal fats, as Neste Oil deals largely with palm oil, it is likely that so called “sustainably sourced” palm oil will get into the mix, and Lufthansa is not bothered about that.     Click here to view full story…

 

 

Lufthansa A321 partially powered (50%) by biofuel to enter service Friday

Date added: July 12, 2011      Lufthansa plans start its scheduled biofuel flights Friday, launching a 6-month trial in which an IAE V2500-powered Airbus A321 will operate on the Frankfurt-Hamburg route.  It will use a 50-50 mix of biofuel and traditional kerosene in one engine, and is due to operate 8 daily legs between FRA and HAM. LH estimates it will save around 1,500 tons of CO2 emissions over the 6 months – but give no indication how this figure is obtained.    Click here to view full story…

 

Friends of the Earth Europe report on aviation biofuels – Flying in the Face of the Facts

Date added: June 21, 2011     European airlines fuelling aeroplanes with biofuels is greenwashing, and flies in the face of recommendations from major international institutions, FoE Europe have said on the opening of the Paris air show.  The European aviation industry, with support from the European Commission, is expected to announce plans to use 2 million tonnes of bio-kerosene per year by 2020.  This is diverting political attention from the real need to cut air travel in order to reduce climate change. Click here to view full story…