To position the nation as a global leader in environmentally friendly aircraft, the government started an initiative in 2022. One of the sectors of the economy with the fastest expanding greenhouse gas emissions is aviation, and the development of low-emission aircraft has been sluggish. In late 2020, the nation's aviation industry put forth a joint master plan to bring air travel more in line with climate protection and commit companies in the sector to the goal of CO2-neutral air travel. The German Aerospace Center (DLR) presented a strategy for future emission-free aviation in 2021.
According to Volker Wissing, Germany's transport minister, clean electricity would be provided to aircraft during landing and takeoff to make them more environmentally friendly. In order to do maintenance, receive fuel, and handle cargo at airports, airplanes need power sources. Currently, the plane's auxiliary turbines or diesel generators provide this electricity. The transport ministry's (BDMV) "technology-open" assistance currently intends to replace fossil fuel supply with direct electrical grid connections, batteries, or hydrogen. "With the new ground power directive, we become one of the first countries to support airports in this transformation away from fossil fuels to climate-neutral power supply for grounded aeroplanes," Wissing added.
"We intend to make German airports the world's cleanest. This is only possible if we continue to be open to new technology and provide financial incentives for investments in climate change. For more ecologically friendly ground power installations as well as infrastructure for refueling and charging, the ministry provides investment subsidies.