Kneissl Touristik invests in Sustainable Aviation Fuel at Lufthansa Group

Kneissl Touristik is among the first Austrian tour operators to invest in the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) for flights with Austrian Airlines and other airlines of the Lufthansa Group. The family-run company (Kneissl Touristik – sabtours Group) takes the contributions made by customers in the months of July and August 2023 to offset the CO₂ emissions of their trips and invests them in Sustainable Aviation Fuel. The airlines of the Lufthansa Group use this SAF amount to reduce the CO₂ emissions of air travel. With this investment, Kneissl Touristik, together with the airlines of the Lufthansa Group, is taking an important step towards more sustainable air travel.

The Sustainable Aviation Fuel used by Austrian Airlines consists of biogenic residues such as used cooking oils and reduces CO₂ emissions by around 80 per cent compared to fossil fuel on a lifecycle basis. In the coming years, the production of fuels made from renewable energies, with even higher reduction potential, is to be ramped up. The availability of Sustainable Aviation Fuel is still limited and the price is about three to five times higher than for fossil fuel. Lufthansa Group is one of the largest SAF consumers worldwide and consumed 5 percent of global SAF production last year.

In August 2022, Lufthansa Group’s CO₂ reduction target (minus 30.6 percent of specific CO₂ emissions) by 2030 was validated by the independent Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). Lufthansa Group was the first airline group in Europe with a scientifically based CO₂ reduction target in line with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015. To achieve the goal of CO₂-neutral aviation by 2050, Lufthansa Group invests in accelerated fleet modernization, the continuous optimization of flight operations, the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel, and provides offers for private and corporate clients to make their air travel more sustainable.