Last weekend, two special KLM flights departed from Schiphol. As many sustainability initiatives as possible have been applied on the KL0675 to Edmonton and KL1713 to Porto. These regular scheduled flights are part of The Sustainable Flight Challenge, which was devised by KLM employees and is organized by the SkyTeam alliance. Sixteen airlines participate. The aim is to learn from each other's experiences in the field of sustainability and thus accelerate the process of making aviation more sustainable.
The main ways in which CO2 reductions can be achieved today is through fleet renewal and the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The KLM and KLM Cityhopper flights to Edmonton and Porto were operated with the Boeing 787-10 and the Embraer 190, which are among the most economical aircraft in the fleet, and with 39% SAF in the fuel tanks. In addition, new weight savings had been made on board, including by allowing World Business Class passengers to order their meals in advance and by predicting water needs with an AI model, so that exactly enough was taken along. Passengers were of course informed by KLM that they were on a special flight and were given information about what they could do to fly more sustainably, for example by participating in the CO2ZERO compensation program and/or by making a SAF contribution.
In the cockpit, the ideal flight route was mapped out in collaboration with air traffic control, without the detours that flights normally have to deal with. When loaded, the center of gravity has been optimized, aiding aerodynamics and potentially saving 1,5 to 2% fuel. The cargo in the hold was on lighter pallets and covered with lighter nets. The leading transport companies were also asked, for example, to drive electrically or on biodiesel. In total, about 50 existing and new initiatives were applied to the two flights, in which all divisions of KLM and partners such as Edmonton Airport, Schiphol, LVNL and General Electric are involved. The impact of the new initiatives is examined and whether they can be implemented in the short term.
The idea of The Sustainable Flight Challenge comes from a group of enthusiastic KLM employees. They were inspired by the historic London-Melbourne race in 1934, which aimed to open up the world and connect people. The challenges that aviation faces today are no longer about bridging distances, but about making it more sustainable. Hence the concrete challenge to carry out a regular, commercial scheduled flight as sustainably as possible in the form of The Sustainable Flight Challenge.
“In 2019, KLM reached out to the sector with Fly Responsibly, in which we called for collaboration and sharing best practices to make flying more sustainable. Now it is time for the next step and a concrete challenge: which airline can operate a long and a shorter flight as sustainably as possible? The great thing about The Sustainable Flight Challenge is first of all the enthusiasm within all parts of KLM to come up with ideas to do this as well as possible. But I also find very positive the fact that the participating airlines share the lessons learned with each other and that both our customers and partners such as engine manufacturers and SAF producers are involved. This collaboration makes sustainability possible and feasible.”
The performance of the participating airlines is assessed by an external auditor. A six-member jury, led by former Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, determines which airline has delivered the best performance in various categories (impact, innovation, scalability and collaboration). The results will be announced at the end of June. The knowledge resulting from The Sustainable Flight Challenge is shared within the participating SkyTeam partners, according to KLM.
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