Selling flights during a global pandemic is not easy, never mind asking passengers to subsidise the fuel bill. But airlines such as SAS and Lufthansa are doing exactly that in a bid to reduce carbon emissions. They are offering passengers the option to offset emissions from their flights with contributions to the cost of using sustainable fuel, which is less polluting than traditional kerosene over its life cycle, but also significantly more expensive. Passengers flying SAS can pay $10 for 20 minute blocks of biofuel. Lufthansa, on the other hand, allows customers of any airline to calculate their emissions and then pay the German carrier to use greener fuel on its own flights to offset part or all of their journey. Soon, however, passengers may not have the luxury of choosing to pay more. Last week, the EC signalled that it was considering an EU-wide requirement for a minimum amount of sustainable fuel on all flights. In January, Norway set a 0.5% requirement, which will rise to 30% by 2030. Others are considering similar moves. SAS has set itself a target of 10% by 2025 and 17% by 2030. With sustainable fuels costing up to four times more than conventional fuels, “the cost is quite high”, said Lars Andersen Resare, head of sustainability at SAS. “At the end of the day we need to include these costs into the price of the flights.”<br/>
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German federal fund WSF has approved local financial aid for Lufthansa subsidiaries Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Swiss under the group’s E9b support package from the government in Berlin. Austrian CE Alexis von Hoensbruch describes the approval as a “last hurdle” and expresses gratitude for the support package. He states: “Help cannot be taken for granted. We know this. It is all the more important to prove to our country that this money is a good investment for the economy, customers and employees.” In July, the European Commission disclosed its approval of a financial support package for Austrian worth E600m, which had been agreed by Lufthansa and Austrian government in June. The package comprises a E150m injection from the Austrian government, repayable loans of E300m from local banks, and a E150m equity investment by Lufthansa. Under a similar local arrangement, Swiss and its Edelweiss leisure affiliate have been granted a Swfr1.5b ($1.64b) loan facility provided by a consortium of local banks and backed by the Swiss government with an 85% loan guarantee. Swiss CE Thomas Kluhr states: “This support will enable Swiss and Edelweiss to negotiate the present crisis, which has been caused by factors beyond our industry’s control, and to continue to gradually resume our flight operations.” For Brussels Airlines, a stabilisation package was arranged comprising a E290m loan from the Belgian state and E170m capital injection by Lufthansa, the group disclosed in July.<br/>
Air New Zealand has outlined Covid-19 safety measures amid fear about the risk of infection from aircrew. The airline's CE Greg Foran has spoken with Health Minister Chris Hipkins today and outlined the precautions the airline is taking. "We understand the Government is considering options for improvements to their current testing regime and we are completely supportive of this," he said. The protocols the airline had were established in conjunction with the Ministry of Health. "We know these have been working because since early April, we haven't had a case of Covid-19 in the airline," said Foran. "However, we acknowledge that all systems and processes should be regularly reviewed, and we are committed to working with Government to do even more to protect our staff, customers and New Zealanders from Covid-19." Air New Zealand has worked closely with Ministry of Health officials in implementing the measures in place today. High, medium or low-risk destinations are set by the Ministry of Health and this risk matrix is reviewed regularly. Story lists measures.<br/>