Lufthansa is trialling use of a kerosene additive to remove water from fuel tanks on board aircraft.
The "water scavenger" additive disperses water within the fuel, enabling removal of the contaminant from the system via the engine's combustion process.
Lufthansa says the additive will reduce the need for "cost-intensive measures to extract water at mandatory intervals".
Dubbed "Kerojet Aquarius" and developed by German chemicals specialist BASF, the additive represents a "milestone in improving both flight safety and aircraft usage", states Lufthansa Group head of fuel purchasing Thorsten Lange.
Lufthansa tested the additive on an Airbus A340-600 during a flight from Munich to San Francisco on 24 July and plans further trial flights on "designated" routes operated with Airbus types.
Full details of the in-service evaluation are scheduled to become available by year-end. BASF says the product's development took many years and included extensive testing.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
