Vienna [Austria], September 26: Austrian Airlines has been legally prohibited from issuing misleading advertising about sustainable fuels.
In future, the Lufthansa subsiduary will not be allowed to advertise with statements such as "fly CO2-neutral with us," according to a court ruling published by Austria's Association for Consumer Information (VKI) on Monday.
The consumer organization filed a lawsuit against the airline after it offered passengers the option of refuelling with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for flights to Venice last year.
The fuel is made from recycled cooking oil instead of petroleum. By using statements such as "100% SAF", the false impression was created that these flights would be carried out in a climate-neutral manner, the VKI argued.
The Regional Court of Korneuburg upheld the consumer protectionists' case. The airline had not mentioned that for technical reasons only up to 5% of alternative fuel could be added to conventional aviation fuel and that Austrian Airlines only used 0.4% SAF. (DPA)
Source: Qatar Tribune