Neste Oil's NExBTL renewable aviation fuel used for the first time on an intercontinental Lufthansa flight
Neste Oil Corporation
Press release
12 January 2012 at 2 pm (EET)
Neste Oil's NExBTL renewable aviation fuel used for the first time on an intercontinental Lufthansa flight
Neste Oil's NExBTL renewable aviation fuel will be used for the first time to power an intercontinental flight when Lufthansa flies a regular scheduled service from Frankfurt to Washington D.C. using the fuel on 12 January. Lufthansa calculates that using biofuel on the flight will reduce airborne CO2 emissions by as much as 38 tons, equivalent to the CO2 released by six flights between Frankfurt and Berlin.
The flight will mark the end of a six-month trial by Neste Oil and Lufthansa during which the airline flew a total of 1,187 flights between Frankfurt and Hamburg using Neste Oil's NExBTL renewable aviation fuel.
Excellent results from using renewable fuel
Lufthansa announced in a press release issued on 9 January that its renewable aviation fuel trial has been a success and has met the company's expectations. A total of approx. 1,500 tons of CO2 emissions were eliminated during the trial. Thanks to the higher energy density of the fuel, also the fuel consumption was reduced by more than one per cent.
"The fuel behaved excellently and is perfect for aviation use," said Joachim Buse, Lufthansa's Vice President, Aviation Biofuel during a teleconference with the media on 11 January. "There were absolutely no problems during the flights, and the aircraft engines performed exactly as they would flying on conventional fossil-based Jet A-1."
"It is very satisfying to hear that our renewable aviation fuel performed exactly as it should," says Matti Lehmus, Neste Oil's Executive Vice President, Oil Products and Renewables. "Neste Oil's NExBTL renewable aviation fuel is 100% compatible with aircraft engines currently in use, and no additional investments or modifications to the aircraft or their engines are needed. We are looking forward to hearing more details on the results of the trial with our new fuel."
Following the end of the trial, Neste Oil and Lufthansa will continue to cooperate in the renewable aviation fuel area, initially focusing on research into various raw materials suitable for producing this type of fuel. The two companies will also collaborate in other areas of biofuel research and will share a joint stand at the International Green Week Berlin event to be held between 20 and 29 January this year.
Neste Oil is one of the few companies that are currently capable of producing renewable aviation fuel in commercial quantities; and low-emission renewable aviation fuel is one of the areas where the company is looking to grow in the future.
Neste Oil Corporation
Hanna Maula
Director, Corporate Communications
Further information:
Matti Lehmus, Executive Vice President, Oil Products and Renewables, tel. +358 (0)50 458 4072
Kaisa Hietala, Vice President, Marketing, Oil Products and Renewables, tel. +358 (0)10 458 4128
Click here to read Neste Oil's press release on the start of Lufthansa's flights using renewable aviation fuel:
http://nesteoil.com/default.asp?path=1,41,540,1259,1260,16746,17872
Neste Oil in brief
Neste Oil Corporation is a refining and marketing company concentrating on low-emission, high-quality traffic fuels. The company produces a comprehensive range of major petroleum products and is the world's leading supplier of renewable diesel. The company had net sales of EUR 11.9 billion in 2010 and employs around 5,000 people. Neste Oil's share is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki.
Neste Oil has been selected into the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and is also featured in the Ethibel Excellence investment register. The company is included in The Global 100 list of the world's most sustainable corporations. Forest Footprint Disclosure (FFD) has ranked Neste Oil as the best performer in the oil & gas sector. Further information: www.nesteoil.com.