Emirates Expands Partnership with Neste for Sustainable Aviation Fuel Supply in 2024 and 2025
Emirates and Neste have announced a significant expansion of their partnership, solidifying their collaboration for the supply of over 3 million gallons of blended Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in 2024 and 2025.
This SAF, blended with conventional jet fuel, will be provided to power Emirates’ flights departing from Amsterdam Schiphol and Singapore Changi airports.
This partnership represents the largest volume of SAF to be uplifted by any airline based in the Middle East and Africa to date. Over one million gallons of the supplied SAF will be in neat SAF form, constituting a blended ratio of over 30% neat SAF combined with conventional Jet A-1 fuel.
Emirates is also set to uplift SAF from its Dubai hub by the end of this year. SAF is known to reduce carbon emissions in air travel by up to 80% over the fuel’s life cycle compared to conventional jet fuel.
Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline, highlighted the significance of this announcement, stating, “today’s announcement is a milestone for Emirates and represents the acceleration of SAF procurement for our operations. It’s also one of the many initiatives we are focused on to reduce our carbon emissions, which includes operating fuel-efficient aircraft, stepping up our fleet renewal from 2024, in addition to driving operational fuel efficiency. Our ongoing partnership with Neste also demonstrates our active engagement and support of the rapidly developing SAF industry, and we hope that the robust demand coming from Emirates and other airlines encourages the scaling up of SAF and other emerging clean propulsion technologies.”
Alexander Kueper, Vice President EMEA from Neste’s Renewable Aviation business unit, emphasized the role of SAF in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from air travel. He expressed pride in expanding their cooperation with Emirates into 2024, aligning with their efforts to supply Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel.
Earlier this year, Emirates, in collaboration with Neste and other industry stakeholders, successfully conducted the first 100% SAF-powered demonstration flight in the region using a Boeing 777-300ER operating on 100% SAF in one engine. The airline has made notable progress in the technical analysis and certification requirements that support standardization and future approval of 100% SAF-powered flights.
Emirates has been at the forefront of advocating for SAF adoption and has been actively involved in various industry and UAE government initiatives. The airline, along with the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), has played a crucial role in advancing the UAE’s ambitious power-to-liquid (PtL) fuels roadmap and the National Sustainable Aviation Fuel Roadmap.
When used in its neat form and calculated with established life cycle assessment methodologies, SAF holds significant promise for reducing the carbon footprint of the aviation industry.
