Swiss International Air Lines has teamed up with sustainable
aviation fuel (SAF) provider Neste to establish an end-to-end logistics chain
for importing SAF to Switzerland. New customs provisions entered into force on 1
July to enable the deal which will make Swiss the first commercial airline to
use SAF in scheduled flight operations from Switzerland.
“We are delighted to have received the first delivery
of our own-sourced SAF into Switzerland so soon after these new customs
regulations came into force,” said Swiss CEO Dieter Vranckx. “For years now, Swiss
and the Lufthansa Group have been lobbying for the import of sustainable
aviation fuels, because these will be the key technology for the mid-to-long
term future in enabling us to achieve our climate goals.”
Swiss’ first delivery of neat SAF amounts to more than
460 tonnes, sufficient to fuel more than 175 flights. SAF will be fuelled at
Zurich Airport via the conventional hydrant system. The Neste SAF blend is a
drop-in fuel, meaning it can be used on all aircraft types without any
modifications required to the aircraft or its engines.
Neste’s SAF is made from sustainably-sourced renewable
waste and residue raw materials. In its neat form, and viewed over its full
life cycle, its use can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80 per cent
compared to fossil fuels.
Customers of Swiss, which aims to be net-zero by 2050,
can use the Compensaid platform to choose to use SAFs when booking their flight.
“A next step,” said Vranckx, “must be to scale up the
production of SAF, which is still very expensive, to bring its price down
closer to those of fossil fuels.”