After an interruption of more than three years, the last Asian long-haul carrier has returned to Munich Airport following the pandemic. As of today, Air China is once again offering daily flights between Munich and the Chinese capital Beijing. The flights are operated by modern Boeing B777-300ER long-haul aircraft. To celebrate the comeback, all passengers received gingerbread hearts on arrival and departure. The last passenger flight between Munich and Beijing took place on March 23, 2020.<br/>
star
Japan's All Nippon Airways will offset part of its greenhouse gas emissions through a carbon credit trading system underpinned by a new technology known as direct air capture (DAC). ANA said on Tuesday it has signed a contract to purchase 30,000 tonnes' worth of carbon trading credits from 1PointFive of the US. The American company will in turn use DAC to absorb that amount of carbon dioxide directly from the air over three years from 2025. The deal makes ANA the world's first airline to sign a contract to purchase credits involving DAC technology. No value for the deal was given. In DAC, high-powered fans draw air into a processing facility where the carbon dioxide is separated out through a series of chemical reactions, according to 1PointFive. The CO2 is either securely stored in underground reservoirs or used to produce fuels or industrial materials. 1PointFive is a subsidiary of US oil and gas supplier Occidental Petroleum. The company is constructing its first DAC facility in Texas and plans to put it into commercial use by mid-2025. The facility is expected to be the largest in the world, with an annual capture capacity of 500,000 tonnes of CO2. The aviation industry is one of the globe's biggest emitters of CO2 and is under urgent pressure to go green. Airlines aim to achieve net-zero carbon emissions from aircraft operations by 2050 through a combination of measures, including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and improvements in the efficiency of aircraft. Sustainable aviation fuel emits up to 80% less carbon dioxide over its life cycle than standard jet fuel, according to Finnish biofuel producer Neste. "But even if jet fuels were entirely replaced with SAF, we would still need to offset the remaining 20%," said Kohei Yoshikawa, a director at ANA who works in the airline's decarbonization team. "This is why DAC technology is crucial." <br/>
Air New Zealand’s upcoming zero-emission regional planes could be coming to an airport near you. Aotearoa’s national carrier has today opened expressions of interest to New Zealand airports, in which two will be selected with one being a primary base of operations for the aircraft. A secondary airport, will be a destination location for a commercial demonstrator – a demonstration flight that will prove the viability of the aircraft, set to take place in 2026. Although the 2026 demonstration is set to only carry cargo, the aim is to eventually replace its Q300 fleet – the “backbone” of the regions – come 2030. Air New Zealand Chief Sustainability Officer Kiri Hannifin said the primary airport would be the aircraft’s home. “The primary airport would be where the aircraft lives, it would be where it is maintained and stored. Basically where it is looked after,” she said. “The secondary airport would be where the plane flies to and from back to home base.” The expression of interest document states that both the primary and secondary airports that are selected will need to have at least 1200m of sealed runway with lighting, both will need to be current Air New Zealand destinations. The primary airport will need an air traffic control service and the ability to store aircraft overnight. Both international and domestic airports will be considered. In December, Air NZ unveiled four different zero-emissions planes it was looking to buy. While three of the planes use runways, like traditional aircraft, one of them stood out as a bit of a wild card – it will lift vertically. The plane is from USA-based Beta Technologies, which is developing an aircraft known as the ALIA-250.<br/>