Synthetic kerosene becomes a hope for aviation

Frankfurt So far, the system only exists on paper, but excavators are expected to roll out soon. The Karlsruhe start-up Ineratec wants to build the first industrial-scale factory for synthetic aviation fuel (SAF) on the site of the Frankfurt-Hoechst chemical park for 30 million euros. From next year, 3,500 tons of it will be produced there annually. “We don’t have to change the drive types, we have to change the fuel,” says Tim Böltken, co-founder and managing director of Ineratec.

German airline managers like Carsten Spohr will certainly follow the project very closely. E-fuel is the industry’s greatest hope for quickly making flying climate-neutral. Other technologies, such as hydrogen propulsion, will take many years to come. And the industry is under a lot of pressure. “Once we leave Covid behind us, there will be no other topic that will determine the agenda like this,” says Lufthansa boss Spohr with a view to the climate issue.