Lufthansa Lightens Its Transport Containers by 15% by Using Plastics Instead of Aluminium

German airline Lufthansa is this year lightening its transport containers by 15% by using plastics instead of aluminium. The company says the new lightweight models will lower kerosene consumption by 2,180 tonnes per year, saving 6,867 tonnes of CO2. The new containers are being manufactured by four different companies; DoKasch (Germany), ACS (the US), Nordisk (Norway) and Driessen (the US), the company told European Plastics News. "Each of the four manufacturers is using a slightly different material, " said a spokesperson. "ACS is using a composite of a honeycomb-shaped core with two covering foils. There are glass fibres involved in some of them. " The containers have a lifespan of around 10 years and will be used for transporting passengers' luggage as well as for cargo shipments. They were tested for their resistance to heat, sunlight, fire, cold temperatures, rain and wind, as well as different kinds of movement, for example a forklift crash. Karl Ulrich Garnadt, CEO of Lufthansa Cargo, said the new containers will help Lufthansa "operate the largest fleet of lightweight containers in the world". Source: European Plastics News