Dubai: Emirates has commenced the activation of its fuel agreement with Finnish oil refining company Neste this month at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, Dubai’s flagship carrier announced Wednesday. Over two million gallons of blended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) will be supplied into the fuelling system at Schiphol Airport throughout 2024, said Emirates.
Emirates, which announced its partnership with Neste last year, will track the delivery of SAF into the fueling systems and environmental benefits using standard industry accounting methodologies, said the airline. The deal signed in 2023 represents one of the largest volumes of SAF that the airline has purchased to date.
“Once fully supplied into Amsterdam Schiphol’s fuelling system, the blended SAF will have been comprised of over 700,000 gallons of neat SAF,” it said. The airline is also working with Neste to supply SAF with the fuelling systems at Singapore Changi Airport in the next few months.
Adel Al Redha, Deputy President and Chief Operations Officer, Emirates said: “Collaborating with committed partners like Neste is one of the practical steps we are taking to reduce our emissions, and it’s an all-important a milestone in our sustainability journey as an airline.” Al Redha added, “Strong partnerships like this, especially at major air transport hubs such as Amsterdam lays the foundation for how we can work with partners and airports to increase access to and availability of SAF across our network.”
The airline’s first flight powered by SAF blended with jet fuel took place in 2017 from Chicago. Emirates currently operates flights from Paris, Lyon and Oslo with SAF. In October of last year, Dubai’s biggest airline also integrated SAF into Dubai Airport fuelling systems, allocating the SAF to several flights, including a flight to Sydney.
Alexander Kueper, Vice President of Renewable Aviation at Neste, said, “SAF is an available solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from air travel and it is exciting that Emirates has started using our Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.”
SAF used as part of this agreement can be safely dropped into existing jet engines and airport fuelling infrastructure, and in neat form, reduces lifecycle carbon emissions by up to 80 per cent compared to using conventional jet fuel.
Earlier this year, Emirates became the first international carrier to join the Solent Cluster in the UK, an initiative focused on low-carbon investments with the potential to create a SAF plant that can produce up to 200,000 tonnes (200 kt) per year if operational by 2032.
