Lufthansa Technik and Hamburg Airport aim to slash CO2 emissions via district heating

Dear Subscribers,

Welcome back! We hope you had a relaxing and restful summer.

Our industry and our aviation cluster are in a process of profound and long-term change. In different places and in different ways, thousands of people are driving the transition to a decarbonised future. This often depends on the right partnerships. Hamburg Airport and Lufthansa Technik , two founding members of Hamburg Aviation, have recently taken a new step to reduce their CO2 emissions by a total of 17,000 tonnes from 2028: both will be connected to the district heating network. The companies have already launched other sustainability projects together, including the advanced Hydrogen Aviation Lab, which is being realised in cooperation with ZAL Center of Applied Aeronautical Research and German Aerospace Center (DLR) . Read more below.

Sometimes, however, change can be painful. Hamburg's aviation community is mourning one of its leading figures, Prof. Werner Granzeier, who passed away in August. He was an outstanding researcher, a passionate engineer and valued mentor who played a key role in shaping Hamburg's aviation industry. Prof. Granzeier will be sorely missed by his many colleagues and friends, including his fellow jury and board members at the Crystal Cabin Award. You can read our obituary here.

Wishing you a great Thursday,

Nikolina Mendes, Angus Baigent and the Hamburg Aviation team

Sustainable Aero Lab: New eco-ranking for airlines launched

Hamburg's start-up accelerator Sustainable Aero Lab has launched a new eco-ranking for airlines. The Net-Zero Airline Ranking assesses the commitment of the world's 20 largest airlines to a decarbonised future in aviation based on five key performance indicators. The aim: to bring transparency and accountability to the airline industry’s sustainability debate. The Q2 2024 Net-Zero Airline Ranking reveals a sobering reality: the airline industry is significantly off track from meeting the Paris Agreement goals.

Despite the overall disappointing performance, two airline groups stand out relative to their peers: United Airlines tops the ranking with a 62% Net-Zero Rating, demonstrating the highest level of commitment among the world's 20 largest airlines. Air France-KLM follows in second place, leading the European airline industry. Read more here.

Crystal Cabin Award: Finalists for APEX EXPO 2024 announced; Applications for 2025 in Hamburg Now Open!

It's on! The Crystal Cabin Award, the world's leading accolade for innovations in aircraft cabins, launches its next round with exciting new developments. For the first time, a category for accessibility is being introduced, reflecting the growing need for inclusive travel.Companies, institutions and students have until October 23, 2024 to submit their applications for the Crystal Cabin Award in eight different categories.?A high-profile international jury, consisting of 28 industry experts, will first determine the finalists in a multi-stage selection process and finally announce the winners on April 8, 2025, during the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg.

Meanwhile, the finalists have been announced for the Customer Journey Experience special category being awarded at APEX (Airline Passenger Experience Association) EXPO in Long Beach, California on October 30 2024: SKYTED coop. Airbus & European Space Agency - ESA, Spafax coop. Sportmonks and Thales are in the running and hoping to take home the prestigous trophy. Find out more here.

Diehl Aviation opens Customer Collaboration Space in Hamburg

Diehl Aviation has opened its second Customer Collaboration Space in Hamburg on 28 August 2024. This step follows the successful launch of the first space in Seattle, Washington/USA, and underlines Diehl's commitment to operate close to its customers worldwide in order to better understand and fulfil their needs. Celebrating with the Diehl Aviation team at the opening ceremony was Hamburg's Sentaor for Economy and Innovation, Melanie Leonhard. Read more

New study: early eVTOL will only serve premium niche market; Use cases in Hamburg assessed

Advanced Air Mobility services will only be economically viable in a premium niche market in the first few years. This one headline takeaway of a study by 罗兰贝格 and German Aerospace Center (DLR) , which analysed the economic viability of various AAM use cases in the Hamburg region. Get the study here.

ZAL.award: Apply now!

The new ZAL.award recognises pioneering aviation projects within the ZAL ecosystem. Tenants of the ZAL TechCenter, members of the ZAL Sponsors' Association and members of partner networks can take part. In addition to a ZAL.award trophy, the winners receive a lot of public attention and the opportunity to present the winning project at the ZAL Christmas Market 2024. You can apply here.

Hamburg Airport reports rising passenger numbers for Summer 2024

Hamburg Airport reports positive figures for the holiday season in 2024: over 2 million passengers used Hamburg Airport in the past six weeks to fly on holiday or to meet relatives, friends or business partners abroad - an increase of 4 percent compared to the previous year. The peak day was 22 July with over 55,000 travellers. Thanks to detailed planning in cooperation with the Federal Police Service, airlines and service providers, Hamburg's airport team successfully prepared for all traffic peaks, with no major disruptions reported.

Management changes at Lufthansa Technik

Lufthansa Technik has announced several changes within its key management positions. On 1 May, Michael Kirstein took over as Vice President "Transformation Office" and will drive forward the "Ambition 2030" growth program. With "Ambition 2030", Lufthansa Technik aims to further expand its leading global position in the technical support of aircraft fleets. Michael Kirstein was previously responsible for the operations in Lufthansa Technik's engine services segment. Derrick Siebert Siebert, previously Vice President Commercials Engine Services, moved to the position Vice President Operations Engine Services as of May 15. One month later, Georg Fanta , former Vice President Commercials Aircraft Component Services, completed the management of Lufthansa Technik's engine services and started his new role as Vice President Commercials there. Read more here.