The Zurich-based freight carrier has launched a new product to fight global warming. Its name: Aviation Tech Pioneer. The initiative is based on a two-pronged approach: the removal of 20% of greenhouse gas emissions through an innovative technology, combined with the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel that accounts for an 80% reduction.
‘Aviation Tech Pioneer’ is offered as a Green Choice add-on service, so it can be booked voluntarily by the airline’s cargo customers. This option complements existing measures introduced earlier by the carrier and results from a partnership with Zurich-based specialist, Climeworks. This particular partner was chosen because of its direct air capture technology (DAC) combined with CO2 storage solutions. Climeworks already operates the two largest DAC extraction and storage facilities in the world. Its integrated concept has put the company in a leading position worldwide within the carbon removal field.
Captured, pumped and stored
DAC is a vitally important method of removing CO2 directly from the atmosphere and storing it permanently underground so it can no longer contribute to global warming. Climeworks has erected two storage facilities in Iceland. There, its local partner Carbfix pumps CO2 deep underground, where the gas reacts with basalt rock through a natural process, transforming it into stone. In this way, it can remain safely stored for over thousands of years.
Swiss WorldCargo points out that DAC technologies also offer a scalable means of procuring atmospheric CO2 for use as a raw material in manufacturing the next generation of synthetic fuels, best known as Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF). As widely recognized, the use of such synthetic fuels is crucial to the decarbonization of the aviation sector. SWISS and the Lufthansa Group have long been industry pioneers in this field, driving the scale-up of these key fuel technologies.
There is no one-fits-all solution
With immediate effect, Swiss WorldCargo’s customers can now opt to support the scale-up of critical tech to reach net-zero in aviation, as well as work on achieving their own scope 3 emission reduction targets. As Climeworks’ first airline partner, Swiss WorldCargo’s new premium offering reflects SWISS’ ongoing commitment to scale-up key decarbonization technologies. The new add-on complements existing initiatives that are part of the carrier’s portfolio, such as investments in Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), the use of lightweight containers or the procurement of modern and fuel saving aircraft. Combined, they have the potential to pave the way for more sustainable practices in the aviation and logistics industries for the years to come.
The current heat waves in the Middle East, India and parts of the USA, which have claimed thousands of lives, show just how essential it is to take measures to combat global warming and achieve the net zero target in aviation. For example, temperatures in Saudi Arabia rose to a record 51.8°C during the Muslim pilgrimage Hajj. Neighboring Egypt reports a similar heat wave, as do Cyprus and parts of the Indian Subcontinent.
