Cargolux becomes first foreign airline to uplift SAF in China
Luxembourg, 14 June 2023 – Cargolux, Europe’s number one all-cargo airline, has become the first foreign carrier to uplift Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in China. The operation took place at Zhengzhou airport (CGO), the airline’s main hub in China, with the full support of their local partners HNCA who are shareholders in the company.
“Cargolux is honored to break new ground in its operations in China with this very special flight. Marking 10 year of success of the Air Silk Road while paving the way for the future is a remarkable achievement. I would like to sincerely thank all our valued partners in CGO who have made this possible and extend my gratitude for their unwavering support over the past decade”, says Richard Forson, Cargolux President & CEO.
The flight, bound for Luxembourg is part of a dedicated carbon neutral rotation Luxembourg-Zhengzhou-Luxembourg. The rotation was organized in the framework of the 10th anniversary of the Air Silk Road and was also SAF-fueled on the inbound leg. Cargolux will also apply SAF certificates to fully compensate for the total emissions of this flight.
On this occasion, the symbolic threshold of 1 million tonnes of freight between Luxembourg and Zhengzhou was also crossed. This remarkable figure reflects both the importance of the Air Silk Road and the commitment of Cargolux and HNCA to develop this commercial axis. As a tribute to this achievement, one of the airline’s 747-8F was adorn with special commemorative decals.
Celebrating 10 years of the Air Silk Road with such a milestone flight is a bright omen for the future. Over the year, volumes have steadily grown and Cargolux looks forward to building on this success with its local partners. This new era in Cargolux and HNCA’s collaboration paves the way to building a Green Silk Road. Both partners are strongly committed to leading the industry transformation and developing sound operations.