Eurowings, Lufthansa Group’s leisure operator, will enable direct CO2 offsets through its participation in a series of environmental protection projects in Germany.
Offset programs are being implemented around the world as a strategy to mitigate the environmental impact of human activity. Although they do not solve the problem of greenhouse gas emissions, the strategy is to promote the creation of forest environments that offset such emissions.
According to the airline, its passengers will now be able to decide whether they wish to offset the CO2 emissions generated by their flight by paying a special fee, which will be used, for example, to support the renaturation of the town of Königsmoor near Hamburg and the Gelliner Bruch moor in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
«Our passengers can now travel CO2-free and, at the same time, support regional offset projects in a very simple way,» said Eurowings CEO Jens Bischof. At the same time he added: «From now on, just one click when booking a flight is enough to directly support regional climate protection projects. Climate protection is practically tangible for many people at their doorstep.»
Passengers’ contribution to reducing the environmental impact of their travel will be through a financial contribution earmarked for investment in these projects. According to Eurowings, offsetting the CO2 emitted on a flight from Düsseldorf to Palma de Mallorca costs 3.10 euros.
Eurowings will actively collaborate with the myclimate initiative, one of the world leaders in voluntary CO2 compensation, which manages more than 144 projects in 41 countries that promote the replacement of fossil energy sources with renewable energies, reforestation and the implementation of more efficient technologies in consumption.
For its part, the Lufthansa Group «has set itself ambitious climate protection targets and aims to halve net CO2 emissions by 2030 and achieve a neutral balance by 2050. According to scientific calculations, CO2 emissions are continuously reduced with the help of fleet renewal and optimization, improved operational efficiency and the use of sustainable aviation fuels,» says the Eurowings statement.
The company also assures that, as part of the Lufthansa Group, «Eurowings is also working to reduce its carbon footprint. The airline has made the largest investment in sustainability in the company’s history with around 1.5 billion euros invested to acquire 13 new A320neo and A321neo, the most modern and efficient medium-haul aircraft in the world».
