Thomas L. Gallagher | Mar 05, 2010 9:56AM EST
Lufthansa Cargo and Jettainer successfully concluded trials of lightweight containers that will allow lower fuel burn and thus lower CO2 emissions.
Jettainer, the outsourced ULD management company partly owned by Lufthansa Cargo, provided 1,000 containers made of fiberglass, Kevlar fiber or Dyneema for a total of approximately 120,000 trial runs on Lufthansa flights over six months. The containers are 20 percent lighter than aluminum containers.
“Lufthansa Cargo stands by its ecological commitment. By 2020, we aim to reduce our specific fuel consumption by 25 percent,” said Lufthansa Cargo Chairman Carsten Spohr. “The successful tests with lightweight containers constitute a significant step in that direction.“
“The successful deployment of lightweight containers represents a paradigm change“, said Jettainer Managing Director Alexander Plümacher. “Their innovative design with lighter materials for transport of freight and baggage will not only save costs for our customers but, simultaneously, reduce emissions considerably. That will make aviation become a little greener.”
Contact Thomas L. Gallagher at tgallagher@joc.com.
