EuroAirport airport: promise climate goals or just empty?

EuroAirport airport: promise climate goals or just empty?

In the region around the EuroAirport, the signs are on storm. The IGCC science initiative has classified the airport's intentions to achieve "zero net emissions" by 2030 as not very credible. The concerns include not only the unclear feasibility of the measures, but also that they often only serve to calm the population and simply postpone the actual problem into the future. Many citizens: Inside, fear that the promises of the airport and the airline Easyjet, which is aiming for the same goal by 2050, are ultimately built on sand.

As already reported, the citizens' initiative in the region is particularly strong in order to stand up against the deterioration of the living environment due to aircraft noise and environmental pollution. A core is the use of sulfur -free kerosene, the introduction of which would benefit the climate, but is currently not economically unacceptable. In addition, the airport has a credibility problem because of the high PFAS contamination of the drinking water in St. Louis and the surrounding area, which comes from the use of PfAS-containing fire foam.

challenges in aviation

Current numbers show that global passenger air traffic failed in 2023. The airlines increased their CO2 efficiency by just six percent compared to 2019. However, annual improvements of four percent would be necessary to achieve Paris climate goals. German airlines such as Lufthansa, Condor and Tuifly have hardly made any progress in kerosene consumption. Despite a decline in absolute CO2 emissions by ten percent compared to 2019, air traffic continues to be a significant climate founder and contributes around 3.5 to five percent to global warming.

A hope of hope seems to be sustainable kerosene, which has so far hardly been used. Atmosfair has already produced CO2-neutral kerosene for commercial use and delivered to German tour operators, but it remains to be seen to what extent the industry will hop. By the way: The problem also extends through fleet modernization, which, due to delivery difficulties among manufacturers such as Boeing and Airbus

The strategy for clean aviation

As early as 2009, airlines, aircraft manufacturers and airports agreed on a climate protection strategy worldwide, which provides for efficiency increases and innovative techniques for the coming decades. The plan provides for fuel efficiency to increase 1.5 percent annually and to achieve a CO2-neutral growth of aviation from 2020. All air traffic should be CO2-neutral by 2050. This includes the development of new methods for kerosine production and the introduction of climate -optimized flight procedures.

But in view of the current situation, questions remain unanswered. Are the promises of EuroAirport and Easyjet redeemed? The citizens' initiative and many residents hope for more transparency and real progress in the aviation industry, because their home is important to them.