Mid-2023, KiMi Aviation was at a crossroads. We want to offer the comfort of a private charter, but at the same time we want to take responsibility for today’s climate challenges. How do we find the balance where you fly more sustainable but don’t have to sacrifice comfort? 

Realizing our ambition

More responsible travel is necessary. From that thought, ‘KiMi Green’ was born. Together with the crew of our jet and experts, we evaluated the current flight operation. Where can we make improvements? 

• Applying winglets: A winglet is a raised extension of the aircraft wing that reduces vortices in the air, making the aircraft fly more efficiently. 

• New painting and special coating Permagard: This keeps the aircraft cleaner. Less dirt means less air resistance and less weight, so also reduction on fuel consumption. An additional benefit is the water savings in washing the aircraft.

• Paperless cockpit: By deploying an Electronic Flight Book (EFB), paper use will be minimized.

• Adjusting speed: Flying 5% slower (for example, 800 km/h instead of 850 km/h) saves 5.8% on fuel and thus 5.8% on CO2 emissions. A flight Amsterdam - New York will then take 24 minutes longer but results in more than 1.7 T of CO2 reduction.

• Fueling more strategically: By using fuel planning more strategically and refueling more often at intermediate stops, the aircraft becomes lighter, resulting in less fuel consumption and thus less CO2- emissions. For example, by doing an extra refueling in Athens on the return flight Amsterdam - Athens, a reduction of 1 T CO2 is possible.

• Use of SAF fuel and SAF certificates: SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel, or biokerosene) is an alternative to fossil fuel. It is produced from sustainable raw materials, such as agricultural waste and old frying fat. By using/adding SAF fuel and/or purchasing SAF certificates, we can achieve a CO2 reduction of up to 55% per flight.

• Procedure adjustment when taxiing after landing: Smarter use of engines can save fuel. For example, taxiing can be done on two engines instead of three without compromising safety. When landing on the Polderbaan, for example, 20 minutes taxiing by engine yields 0.5 T CO2 reduction per flight. This procedure is under development and currently being tested.

• Sharper on routes and altitudes: By consulting more actively on flight plans, we expect to be able to coordinate more shorter and more direct (approach) routes, thereby reducing fuel consumption and thus CO2 emissions. RIVM indicates that a reduction in CO2 emissions of about 10% can be achieved through more efficient use of airspace.