Due to sustainable fuels: Switzerland raises domestic flight prices

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The Swiss airline is looking to further its sustainability goals with increased tariffs for domestic flights. In concrete terms, emissions from point-to-point connections between Zurich and Geneva are now reduced by using sustainable fuels.

The company announced that the rest of the CO₂ emissions caused by flight will be offset by climate protection projects. Local passengers can choose between a 20 to 50 percent reduction in emissions by using sustainable aviation fuel, known in technical jargon as Sustainable Aviation Fuel SAF. Swiss boss Dieter Vranckx, 50, said airfare should ultimately cost 5 to 20 percent more.

“Flying isn’t going to get cheap in the medium to long term,” says Vranckx. It will be shown how many of the 15,000 to 20,000 affected passengers will cross the train.

Ambitious goals

In general, since February it is possible to pay a surcharge for the “green” tariff on Swiss flights, which includes 20 percent CO₂ reductions through SAF and 80 percent compensation through climate protection projects. According to the airline, the offer has been used by only 3 percent of passengers so far.

Vranckx said the airline remained true to its strategy, even though its goals were ambitious and difficult to achieve. Because there is still no electric, hybrid or hydrogen-powered aircraft on the market. “In my career, and perhaps in my life, I will never experience the fact that we have a completely new technology at the long-haul level,” the company boss said.

“Otherwise, we cannot reach our goals”

For this reason, the CO₂ compensation projects implemented in cooperation with the Myclimate Foundation are indispensable for the airline. “For us, compensation is a piece of the puzzle. “We can’t achieve our goals without them,” the company boss said.

However, their effectiveness is controversial. A recent study by ETH Zurich, for example, showed that only 12 percent of CO₂ certificates sold kept their promises.

The Lufthansa subsidiary aims to halve its CO₂ emissions by 2030 compared to 2019 and to have a CO₂ neutral balance sheet by 2050. Alongside green tariffs and compensation, Switzerland also relies on new planes, synthetic fuels and technology. (pbe/SDA)

Source :Blick