Lufthansa passengers can choose CO2-neutral synthetic fuel - at a price

German airline Lufthansa is launching a platform that allows customers to purchase CO₂-neutral synthetic plane fuel to compensate for the emissions caused by their flight, the company announced in a press release. The website "Compensaid" combines a tracking tool for flights of all airlines worldwide with a sustainability platform that makes it possible to directly offset one’s personal CO₂ emissions with two options: they can either purchase climate-friendly plane fuels or support a reforestation project in Nicaragua. The synthetic fuel purchased as part of the offsetting process will be deployed on Lufthansa flights within a period of six months. However, Lufthansa's Compensaid service comes at a steep price, reports The Associated Press. A single economy-class ticket from Frankfurt to New York is 374 euros more expensive if customers buy the synthetic form of kerosene.

The German Aviation Association has said it wants to bring CO₂ emissions from air traffic to zero and called for a power-to-liquid road map to reach this goal. Air traffic has become a focus of public attention, both in Germany and across Europe. Some experts say an extensive reduction of emissions in aviation in the medium term can only be reached with synthetic fuels, because switching to alternative propulsion systems such as electrification will take much longer.