There are two prevailing challenges in the airfreight/aviation industry: decarbonisation and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
Decarbonisation targets for 2030 and 2050 are increasingly under scrutiny and some airlines have had to re-evaluate their commitments considering delays from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in providing new aircraft, the long lead times for new low carbon or zero carbon technologies to enter the market.
The cost of sustainable aviation fuel, as well as the uneven playing fields being generated by those countries or trade blocs, that introduce mandatory decarbonisation measures and those which do not, further impacts the cost impact and may well expose airlines to existential threats.
“All these issues pose significant hurdles to meeting the industry’s ambitions for decarbonisation,” Richard Forson, President and CEO at Cargolux Airlines, stated.
“This should not be used as an excuse to stop pursuing these goals; on the contrary it should motivate the industry to push harder for a global level playing field in decarbonisation, linking airlines to their home countries’ commitments under the Paris Agreement and pushing for greater assistance from the EU in supporting the availability and cost of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to ensure an alignment between ReFuelEU Aviation and the net-zero aspirations of the European Union.
In the airline industry, women have historically been under-represented in senior leadership positions, and on the flight deck – in 2022, only 5 percent of pilots were women, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). To improve DEI across the industry, IATA launched the voluntary 25 by 2025 initiative in 2019. The aim is to increase the number of women in senior positions and under-represented areas by 25 percent, or up to a minimum of 25 percent, by 2025.
“More than 200 aviation-related organisations, including ground support companies and booking platforms, as well as airlines including Cargolux, have signed up to 25 by 2025, and they are making progress,” Forson explained. “In 2022, the proportion of senior leadership roles held by women was 28 percent, including 28 female CEOs. In 2021, the proportion was 24 percent. Airlines that have signed up to the initiative also added 1,000 new women pilots in 2022.
“However, there is a notable gap between the companies that have made the greatest progress and those still at the beginning of their DE&I work. Much work remains to be done in this area, especially supporting initiatives that promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics as career paths in underrepresented areas of our communities.”
Specific steps
In 2022, Cargolux finalised an order of 10 777-8 freighters with options for six additional airplanes. The 777-8 freighter offers reduced emissions, noise, as well as the lowest fuel use and operating costs per tonne of any large freighter.
Cargolux’s warehouse and cargo handling operations already have very high recycling rates for wooden pallets. The airline has also introduced the use of squAIR timber cardboard spacers in operations to reduce the amount of wood resources used.
Additionally, the Cargolux team re-use and recycle 100% of their plastic wrap in Luxembourg and have recently started introducing biodegradable plastics into our operations. In July 2024, the carrier started a trial of a Hydrogen fueled truck between Luxembourg and Frankfurt to support the development of this technology.
”Sustainability has been a key pillar of Cargolux’s operations for a significant amount of time. The company has an embedded culture of circular economy practices in Maintenance and Engineering and very high re-use and recycling rates in our cargo operations,” Forson outlined.
“Socially, within Cargolux, we have internal policies which are aimed at ensuring fairness and just culture. We have also introduced a Diversity Equity and Inclusion policy, which will apply to Cargolux and all of its subsidiaries.”
