DHL Express Determinedly On Course To Achieve Net-Zero Emissions
The title if this post is the same as that of this article on The Lodestar.
This was the introductory paragraph.
DHL Express chief executive John Pearson came out with all guns firing when detailing the firm’s efforts to hit net-zero by 2050, during a press junket this week.
The rest of the article is basically in three sections.
The Use Of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
Summed up by three sentences.
“When it comes to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), we know this is expensive, but we have also put a big chunk of change into this,” he said.
By the end of the year, we want 2% of flights fuelled by SAF.
DHL has bought 15% of all globally available SAF
DHL seem to have a comprehensive policy on the use of SAF.
This reinforces my view that SAF will be important.
Alternative Approaches
This paragraph sums up some of the more alternative approaches DHL are looking at.
SAF use forms only one part of the migration to net-zero: fleet renewal; decarbonising ground handling; a fuel optimisation programme; and the use of electric aircraft, following the successful September trial over Seattle of the Alice e-cargo plane, are all critical.
I suspect there are other alternative approaches.
Fleet Renewal
The last two paragraphs talk about fleet renewal.
Fleet renewal comes after a particularly pronounced moment of growth for the company: it added 10 widebody and 70 small- and medium-body planes during the pandemic.
Described by Boeing as one of the most “fuel-efficient” aircraft on the market, thanks to its twin-engine design, the 777 freighter forms a central part of DHL Express’ renewal plans, said Mr Pearson, adding that 28 were on order.
With 28 777 freighters on order, DHL will need a lot of SAF.
A Last Thought
Given the size of DHL’s fleet, which in their Wikipedia entry is given as 197, seventy-three of which are narrow bodies, I am surprised that no dedicated zero-carbon small or medium-sized cargo aircraft, except for the Alice is under development.
Perhaps, in areas like Europe, this niche is being taken by rail or perhaps by Airbus’s proposed hydrogen-powered ZEROe Turbofan.
I wrote in detail about this hydrogen-powered aircraft in Could An A320 neo Be Rebuilt As A ZEROe Turbofan?.
Airbus say that the passenger version of the ZEROe Turbofan could handle up to 200 passengers, despite having a large hydrogen tank in the rear fuselage.
The cargo capacity of a ZEROe Turbofan would probably be a bit smaller than say the latest Airbus A321 or Boeing 737, but if the hydrogen-powered aircraft was built to accept a stretch, I wouldn’t be surprised to find it was a viable aircraft for DHL, with a fuselage stretch!
It would surely help passengers of future hydrogen-powered aircraft, overcome their fear of an aircraft fueled by hydrogen.
The ZEROe Turbofan is quoted as having a range in excess of two thousand nautical miles, so it would have Europe and North America fairly well covered.
I also wouldn’t rule out use of Airbus’s proposed hydrogen-powered ZEROe Turboprop for flying cargo.
It would have a smaller capacity than the ZEROe Turbofan.
- It would have a useful range of over a thousand nautical miles.
- I feel that both ZEROe aircraft have the same fuselage cross-section, which could ease cargo handling, by using the same equipment for both aircraft.
- I also feel that both ZEROe aircraft will have the same cockpit, which should reduce crew costs.
I feel that smaller cargo aircraft will play a large part in the development of hydrogen-powered aircraft.
If the plans of some companies and individuals work out, hydrogen might be a better alternative financially to SAF.
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