These are Switzerland’s plans.

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Air travel must become more sustainable if it wants to have a future. And this is not possible without drastic measures. Swiss management gives the issue the highest priority: Sustainable and responsible entrepreneurial action is an essential part of corporate strategy. The airline is committed to sustainable development and supports the goals of the United Nations Agenda 2030.

Holistic approach to sustainability

The UN catalog lists 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) covering all three dimensions of sustainability: environmental, social and economic. Swiss, closely linked to business and society as an airline and a major employer, is pursuing these goals. The airline wants to create added value for customers, employees and Switzerland and fulfill its responsibility towards the environment, people and society.

As part of the holistic approach, the issues are therefore addressed in all areas. This means, for example, a strong focus on equality and commitment to multiple social issues, including initiatives to support disadvantaged children.

Swiss places special emphasis on reducing environmental impact. Target: By 2030, net CO₂ emissions will be halved compared to 2019. Switzerland wants to have a CO₂ neutral balance sheet by 2050. A true Herculean task – but the airline tackles it with great determination and the following measures:

One of the biggest levers towards achieving CO₂ reduction goals in aviation: Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF for short) – sustainable fuel. This is kerosene made from renewable resources. Currently available from Switzerland, SAF emits at least 80 percent less CO₂ than conventional kerosene. One day, SAF will enable virtually CO₂-neutral aviation. Currently available sustainable fuel consists of biogenic wastes such as spent frying oil, but synthetic variants of SAF are also being developed from CO₂ and water using renewable energy.

But there is one: SAF is currently still very expensive and only available in small quantities. That’s why Swiss, together with parent company Lufthansa, is committed to moving forward in developing production capacities and promoting various SAF production processes. In this context, Swiss entered into a partnership with the Swiss start-up Synhelion. It is planned to introduce solar energy fuel to the market. A flagship project: Swiss will be the first airline in the world to use the so-called solar liquid fuel.

At the same time, the airline offers private and commercial customers targeted offers to use sustainable fuels to increase demand and thus the market (see “Passenger engagement”).

An important lever to reduce CO₂ emissions is to invest in more modern and efficient aircraft such as the Airbus A320neo and, from 2025, the A350. According to Swiss, the relative CO₂ emissions of modern aircraft have been reduced by a quarter compared to previous models. Swiss consumption per passenger and 100 kilometers of transport was 3.15 liters of kerosene in 2022, well below the industry average of 3.5 liters.

Improving fuel efficiency is crucial without modern technologies. That’s why Swiss is pushing, among other things, the AeroSHARK project forward. This film (developed by Lufthansa Technik and BASF) is the world’s first passenger airline used by Switzerland on its machines to reduce frictional resistance. The movie is currently hanging on all aircraft in the Boeing 777 fleet.

Measures to improve operational efficiency, such as avoiding waiting patterns or using airspace in an optimized and efficient way, are summarized under the heading “Operational Efficiency”. An example is the Operations Decision Support Suite (OPSD) project, a data-driven platform developed by Swiss in collaboration with Google Cloud. This makes it possible to make optimal decisions when allocating aircraft or determining flight times.

The company’s own research department “Operations Research” also launches initiatives optimizing flight operations in Switzerland and industry, together with various national and international partners. Finally, pilots can contribute their fair share to sustainable flight operations. The possibilities available to you during a flight are the continuous calculation of the optimal flight path and altitude, or the lowest possible air resistance during approach.

Air traffic has many positive effects on the economy and society, thanks to its great importance to the Swiss economy, the maintenance of supply chains and Switzerland’s connection to all major cities in the world. It also has negative effects on the environment. But Swiss is mobilizing a lot of leverage to reduce its CO₂ footprint. The airline wants to make its flight operations as efficient and low-emissions as possible, while at the same time encouraging the rapid development and market launch of new technologies.

However, the airline also relies on passenger involvement for sustainability. Swiss has been including its passengers in this transformation process since 2019. Concretely, customers can purchase sustainable fuel when purchasing tickets and also contribute to various climate protection projects (more on this: see box).

The airline welcomes passengers’ increasing preference for one of its more sustainable flight offerings. Especially for corporate customers, booking cheap air tickets is no longer the only thing that matters. They want to be as sustainable as possible, as they define relevant CO₂ targets in their companies.

Source :Blick