Airlines ask passengers to subsidise green fuel to help cut emissions

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/>