Watch manufacturer Breitling is to purchase enough sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to cover all of its business travel on Swiss International Airlines.
The agreement will see Switzerland-based Breitling reduce its direct carbon dioxide emissions from air travel with the Lufthansa Group-owned airline by up to 80 per cent through paying for SAF.
The two companies said this was a first-of-its-kind agreement in Switzerland for a corporate to buy SAF directly from an airline as a way of reducing its carbon footprint from travel.
In a statement, Swiss said that Breitling’s move would send a “strong signal to the markets to expand the production and the use of such sustainable fuels”.
Currently SAF is very limited in its supply but the aviation industry and corporate travel sector is keen to increase demand to encourage more suppliers to develop production facilities for sustainable fuel, which should also help to bring the price down compared to traditional kerosene jet fuel.
Georges Kern, Breitling’s CEO, said: “For us, sustainability is not a project, it’s a journey we’re on to transform our business. Achieving CO2 neutrality on our work-related Swiss flights is an important way for us to reduce our emissions and, through the purchase of SAF, make a small contribution to the sustainability transition of the aviation industry.”
The SAF currently used by Swiss and the other Lufthansa Group airlines is made from biogenic waste and generates 80 per cent fewer CO2 emissions than traditional aviation fuel. There is also research going on into the development of “synthetic” aviation fuels, which could be “almost entirely” carbon neutral.
Dieter Vranckx, CEO of SWISS, added: “Breitling is serving here as an exemplary pioneer. It’s collaborations like this which will substantially drive the further development of sustainable aviation fuels and, in doing so, accelerate the transition to more sustainable air travel.”
The airline has also started offering corporate clients a range of new products designed to reduce carbon emissions from their business travel. This includes making it easier to offset emissions and purchase SAF within the booking process. Swiss said these initiatives were “attracting sizeable interest in the corporate world”
Lufthansa Group’s airlines are also currently testing a new “green fare”, which includes “full compensation” for carbon emissions within the ticket price. This is initially being piloted in the group's Scandinavian markets.