Swiss becomes first airline to use SAF from Switzerland

Swiss International is the first commercial airline to use sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), or biojet, in its scheduled flight operations from Switzerland, according to the supplier Neste.

Aircraft fuel with a 'biogenic' component has been importable to and usable in Switzerland since the start of this month, thanks to new customs provisions. The first SAF delivery amounts to over 460t and is sufficient to fuel more than 175 short-haul flights from Zurich airport. Neste's SAF is blended with jet fuel and can be used on all aircraft types without any modifications, according to the company.

Swiss' customers also have the option of buying SAF when booking a flight through the 'Compensaid' platform, which was established in 2019 to reduce the CO2 emissions caused by air travel. Swiss, which is part of Germany's Lufthansa Group, aims to halve its net CO2 emissions from the 2019 level by 2030, and to have net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050.

"A next step must be to scale up the production of SAF, which is still very expensive, to bring its price down to closer to those of fossil fuels," Swiss chief executive Dieter Vranckx said.

EU biojet production accounts for around 0.05pc of the region's jet fuel consumption. Output could rise to 1.5mn-1.8mn t by 2030, according to Argus estimates. Demand will be driven by mandates, with the EU set to publish tomorrow the required percentage share of SAF in aviation fuels that aircraft must take from 2025. Individual countries have already implemented national mandates. Norway introduced a 0.5pc SAF blending mandate last year, which will increase to 30pc by 2030. Sweden set a target for jet fuel suppliers to reduce GHG emissions by 0.8pc in July-December this year, rising gradually to a 27pc cut in 2030, and France will introduce a blending mandate of 1pc in 2022, rising to 2pc by 2025 and 5pc by 2030.

Neste's SAF is made from sustainably-sourced renewable waste and residue raw materials. In its neat form, and over its full life cycle, its use can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 80pc compared to fossil fuels, according to Neste.

By Giulia Squadrin