Lufthansa Cargo, DB Schenker has staged the industry's first CO2-neutral freight flight, whose fuel requirements will be completely covered by Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

Lufthansa Cargo's Boeing 777F took off from Frankfurt to Shanghai at 8:10 a.m. local time under flight number LH8406 and then returns to the Hessian metropolis. This first CO2-neutral freight flight is made possible by a cooperation between DB Schenker and Lufthansa Cargo.

The logistics service provider and the air freight company will transport goods from Siemens Healthineers AG, among others, on this flight. DB Schenker and Lufthansa Cargo are committed to sustainable air transport and agreed in November 2020 to exchange views on environmental issues and to jointly promote them - including the move away from fossil fuels in air freight transport.

Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure Scheuer: "Even in the most severe crisis that has ever hit aviation, Lufthansa Cargo and DB Schenker are facing up to their responsibility for climate protection and are operating their first freight flight from Frankfurt to Shanghai entirely with sustainable alternative fuel. This is an important signal right now that the companies are looking to the future despite all the concerns and are taking important steps to make aviation more sustainable."

"With this flight we are committed to the increased research and use of SAF so that sufficient quantities of the alternative fuel will be available in the future. In addition to investments in a modern freighter fleet, our commitment to this CO2-neutral flight also contributes to the United Nations' 'Climate Action' sustainability goal. Because Lufthansa Cargo takes its corporate responsibility very seriously and is actively taking measures to meet this responsibility and relieve the environment," explained Peter Gerber, CEO of Lufthansa Cargo.

"We are already further ahead than many think when it comes to climate protection in air freight. We can demonstrate this with the first CO2-neutral freight flight in history," says Jochen Thewes, CEO of DB Schenker. "With the start of the 2021 summer flight schedule, DB Schenker will offer greenhouse gas-neutral air freight as a regular product. As a logistics provider, DB Schenker is the link between the loading industry and the airlines in order to actually implement climate protection in air freight. I am convinced that there is a great demand for this type of green transport and I am looking forward to seeing who will follow suit," continues Jochen Thewes.

"Getting our medical technology systems and important spare parts to where they are urgently needed and always being a reliable partner for our customers and their patients is our top priority. We are therefore all the more pleased that our logistics partners are sending an important signal and want to make air freight transport more climate-friendly in future. This is an important step towards sustainable transport routes," says Dr. Frank Debus, Head of Customer Services Managed Logistics at Siemens Healthineers.

In addition, DB Schenker and Lufthansa Cargo are also using a reforestation project to compensate for the CO2 emissions and other greenhouse gases that result from the production of the biomass, processing and transport of the SAF. This ensures that the flights are completely greenhouse gas neutral overall.