WINGS OF CHANGE?
The aviation industry is on course. After difficult years, global passenger and flight numbers are almost back to pre-pandemic levels. Good for the industry, bad for the environment: CO2 emissions in aviation are still high. Politicians, researchers and airlines are called upon to develop innovations and measures that make flying more sustainable. Airports also have a role to play - such as DUS Airport with its Masterplan 2045.
A model of the Masterplan 2045 shows what DUS Airport would look like in twenty years' time. The planned infrastructure measures, including in the area of sustainability, are coloured blue.
However, it is obvious that the one decisive solution - a drastic reduction in flights - is not economically feasible. Instead, a mix of new technologies, operational optimisations and regulatory measures could reduce CO2 emissions. Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) produced from waste or biomass should play an important role in this. The sustainable aviation fuel reduces CO2 emissions by up to 80 per cent and is compatible with existing aircraft engines. However, production capacities are currently very low and the costs are three to five times higher than for kerosene. This has an impact on air fares and is a burden on international competitiveness. In order to nevertheless increase the use of SAF, the EU has decided on a gradually increasing blending quota at all EU airports from two per cent from 2025 to 70 per cent in 2050.
E-fuels that are produced using green electricity and CO2 extracted from the environment are to be added. According to the current legal situation, an e-fuels blending quota of 0.5 per cent is planned for Germany from 2026, which is to hike up significantly in subsequent years. However, this is far from becoming reality, explains BDL spokesperson Alexander Klay: 'These fuels do not actually exist. The planned funding for the market ramp-up of the technology, to which revenue from the air traffic tax was also supposed to contribute, was slashed by the traffic light coalition from two billion to one hundred million euros. We assume that without a 180-degree turnaround, there will be no e-fuels in Germany in the foreseeable future.'
In addition to considerable research and development work, BDL spokesperson Alexander Klay also sees a great need for funding in order to utilise the existing potential for the green transformation of aviation.
Technical improvements could help much faster. According to the BDL, each new generation of aircraft reduces kerosene consumption by up to 30 percent through optimised engines, aerodynamics and lightweight materials, among other things. In terms of propulsion, electric propulsion is currently the only emission-free alternative. Batteries charged from renewables are a possible energy source, but their range is too short for long-haul flights. Battery or fuel cell-electric hybrid engines could solve this challenge, but Klay still sees "a considerable need for research and development before they can be used in aviation". In the operational fields, measures such as optimised flight routes and tugs could reduce kerosene consumption by towing the aircraft to take-off and thus replacing the fuel-intensive journey.
In future, visitors to Düsseldorf Airport will be able to observe this from the reopened visitor terrace, which is to become a place of experience with the best view of air traffic as part of the Masterplan 2045. The focus of the project, for which investments of around one billion euros are planned with regards to the modernisation and further development of the infrastructure, is the sustainable transformation of the airport in addition to an attractive passenger experience with catering, exhibition and event areas: 'We want to make DUS a leading airport in Europe. Sustainability plays a central role in this. With our measures, we want to be pioneers and initiate important change processes that are now necessary to drive forward the transformation towards more sustainability in aviation,' explains Lars Redeligx, CEO of Germany's fourth-largest airport in terms of passenger numbers.
A place of experience with a perfect view of flight operations: this is how DUS Airport is modelling the reopened visitor terrace as part of the Master Plan 2045.
„With our measures, we want to be pioneers and initiate important change processes“
Lars Redeligx, Chairman of the Executive Board, has ambitious plans for the airport with the Masterplan 2045 - also in terms of sustainability.
One milestone in the Masterplan 2045 is the construction of a new fuel depot, which will be expanded by 2.6 million litres to nine million litres compared to the existing depot. The direct connection to the rail network enables the supply of SAF. Further development of the production process is essential to make the fuel cheaper in the future and pioneering work is being carried out here at DUS Airport: 'The Essen-based startup Greenlyte Carbon Technologies GmbH wants to set up an SAF laboratory directly at the airport, in which eSAF will be produced for the first time from CO2, which is collected directly from the air on site, and green hydrogen. We are supporting this project together with the EUREF-Campus Düsseldorf,' says Redeligx. There are also plans for a hydrogen refuelling station accessible by air and land. It will be usable for passenger buses, cars or special airport vehicles and local public transport, for example. Overall, the energy supply will be significantly greener: a photovoltaic system with around 40,000 modules is being built on an area the size of around 21 football pitches, which will generate 14 million kilowatt hours of electricity - enough to supply around 4,000 households for a year.
Alternative fuels, optimised aircraft construction, more climate-friendly airports - the aviation industry is making great strides towards a more sustainable future. However, there are still many miles to go before the EU and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) can achieve climate neutrality for global aviation by 2050. And DUS Airport wants to contribute to this by the implementation of its Masterplan 2045. •
Text: Dominik Deden
Pictures: Flughafen Düsseldorf