Lufthansa is expanding its joint product with German rail operator Deutsche Bahn as it looks to improve connectivity and reduce emissions. Under the agreement, Lufthansa Express Rail will connect five new cities to Frankfurt airport in the second half of 2021, allowing seamless 'train to flight' services. "With this joint initiative, we are strengthening the offer of mobility in Germany, thus bolstering the local economy," states Lufthansa executive board member Harry Hohmeister. "By intelligently linking rail and air transport, we offer our customers a seamless and convenient travel network, benefiting consumers and the environment." From July, the service will connect Frankfurt airport to Hamburg and Munich, to be followed by Berlin, Bremen and Munster in December. In addition, Lufthansa Express Rail is introducing faster rail connections across much of its network. Deutsche Bahn and Lufthansa already offer 134 daily feeder trains to Frankfurt airport from 17 German cities via Lufthansa Express Rail. The system allows automatic rebooking on the next available flight or train in the case of delays. Speaking during a results call on 8 March, Lufthansa chief executive Carsten Spohr said the group was looking to deepen its product offering with Deutsche Bahn in order to reduce its environmental impact. Last year, the German government began a programme of airfare surcharges in order to discourage short-haul flights, while reducing VAT on rail tickets in a bid to encourage more environmentally friendly behaviour.

Norwegian carried 61,374 passengers in February, down 97% year on year amid continuous travel restrictions. The restructuring low-cost carrier cut capacity, as measured in available seat kilometres, by 98% versus the same period in 2020, while revenue passenger kilometres fell by 99%, the airline notes. Passenger load factor was at 38.1%, down 44 percentage points. Norwegian operated eight aircraft during the month, mainly on domestic routes in Norway.

Environmental activists have managed to gain access to a stored Air France Boeing 777-200ER and spray it with green colouring as part of a protest against the French government air transport policies. The aircraft – registered F-GSPB, a 1998 airframe fitted with General Electric GE90 engines – was parked at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, having been withdrawn from service in March last year as the effects of the pandemic began to emerge. Activists took the action on 5 March. Ahead of a parliamentary debate over a climate bill, the environmental group Greenpeace has accused the government of “greenwashing” and insists a reduction of air traffic is necessary to meet the commitments of the Paris climate agreement. It claims that technological innovations “praised” by French transport minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari will “not be enough to stem the climate crisis” and that regulation and reduction of air traffic are “essential”. “Measures proposed in the bill on this subject are far from the mark,” it adds. Greenpeace particularly highlights the continuation of airport expansion projects, and the development of rail alternatives to flight. It argues that the threshold duration for rail journeys to replace flights should be 6h, rather than the 2h 30min envisioned, and that rail development needs to be enhanced. The group points out that plans to develop hydrogen power for future aircraft involves “significant technical challenges” and currently focuses only on replacement of short-haul types such as the Airbus A320 – rather than long-haul aircraft which are responsible for greater emissions. “We are not against technological innovations, contrary to what some people [claim],” stresses the group. “We are simply saying that they will not be enough to solve the climate crisis.”