The CEO of Lufthansa, Germany's largest airline, has expressed doubts about the feasibility of the European Union's quotas for sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), which are viewed as a costly but necessary component for more environmentally friendly air travel.
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The European Parliament recently approved a plan that mandates airlines in Europe to increase their usage of SAFs, which emit zero or less CO2 compared to traditional fossil fuel kerosene. However, Lufthansa's CEO, Carsten Spohr, stated in a press briefing that meeting the required quantities of SAFs is currently unattainable, and the high costs associated with them would ultimately be passed on to the passengers.
Despite this, he acknowledged that shareholders are urging the industry to improve in this area. Presently, SAFs constitute only 0.1% of global airline fuel and 0.2% of Lufthansa's fuel. The EU's goals are to increase this to 2% by 2025, 6% by 2030, 20% by 2035, and eventually 70% by 2050.
In addition, Spohr confirmed that Lufthansa will join forces with German defense company Rheinmetall in a consortium to manufacture and maintain U.S. F-35 fighter jets, corroborating an earlier report from Business Insider. In May, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker expressed concerns about the aviation industry's goal of attaining net-zero emissions by 2050, citing insufficient supplies of Sustainable Aviation Fuel and alternative hydrogen designs in their early stages.