Germany's Scholz Optimistic About Climate-Neutral Future of Aviation

Hamburg — Germany's aviation industry is set to undergo fundamental changes in the coming years as the country aims to become a pioneer in climate-neutral flying, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Monday at the National Aviation Conference in Hamburg.

"Our big goal is clear: we want to become climate-neutral by 2045, while remaining a successful industrialized country with further growth opportunities," Scholz said.

Aviation is responsible for just under 3% of global CO2 emissions, he said. "It is clear that this should become even less."

He added that the German aviation industry was already a world leader in climate-friendly technologies.

In the long term, hydrogen propulsion would certainly be possible in series-produced aircraft, the chancellor said, adding that Germany wants to speed up the development of its hydrogen infrastructure.

He expressed confidence that Germany's aviation industry has a "very good future."

Chief executive of Germany's Lufthansa airline, Carsten Spohr, referring to difficult years during the Covid-19 pandemic, said: "Aviation is back."

Regarding Lufthansa, he said: "We're doing great." Lufthansa had received billions of euros in state aid during the pandemic.

Synthetic fuels currently account for 0.2% of Lufthansa's fuel consumption, Spohr said.

Transport Minister Volker Wissing said: "No one is helped if we slow down our domestic aviation and foreign providers who are less sustainability-oriented fill the gap. That's why we support our aviation companies and airports to become pioneers in reducing greenhouse gases."

The German government promotes innovation and research and ensures fair competitive conditions in air transport, the minister said.

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