easyJet and Airbus are trialling a new model to help organisations address the carbon footprint of their business travel and meet their sustainable targets and regulatory requirements.
Starting this month, the trial will also explore how airlines can partner with organisations to help finance SAF, stimulate supply for future mandate requirements and drive down prices to make the fuel more affordable.
Under the scheme, easyJet will work with corporate partners to determine a specific quantity of SAF to cover their travel requirements.
Once it has pooled demand, it will buy the SAF from a fuel supplier at a better price due to the benefits of bulk buying.
The SAF is delivered to the airport and then the corporate partner will be issued with a non-tradeable SAF certificates, verified by a third party, such as Verifavia.
The partner is then able to register the SAF certificate as part of its Scope 3 reporting.
As part of the initial trial with Airbus, 106 tonnes of neat SAF has been purchased, which equivalent to the amount of fuel needed to operate easyJet’s flights between Toulouse and Bristol with 30% SAF blend over a three-month period. The route has been chosen as it is commonly used by Airbus employees.
The SAF purchased will be produced from biomass feedstock, such as used cooking oil, and converted into jet fuel.
The current production rate of SAF stands at just 3% of the total fuel required for the industry and costs three to five times more than conventional jet fuel.
Julien Manhes, Airbus Head of Sustainable Aviation Fuels and Carbon Dioxide Removal, said: “Today, SAF is available in small quantities, so we need to upscale the supply and close the price gap with traditional fuel. One of the ways to do that is to create a clear demand signal for the market.
“In 2023, 600 million litres of SAF was produced around the world and every single drop of that was consumed. This trial is about building a resilient SAF economy because we have the technology, we have the aircraft, we just need more SAF.”
Thomas Haagensen, Group Markets Director at easyJet, added: “Business travellers make up around 14% of our customer base, relying on airlines to travel efficiently. Our corporate partners are always looking to reduce the impact of their flying and this model will help both with their carbon emissions reporting while stimulating growth of the SAF industry which will be critical to achieving the industry’s net zero ambitions.”
In 2022, easyJet published its roadmap to net zero by 2050 through a number of initiatives, including fleet renewal, operational efficiencies, airspace modernisation, SAF and carbon removal technology.
Since 2000, the airline has successfully reduced its carbon emissions per passenger, per kilometre by one-third.
Currently all Airbus aircraft are capable of flying with up to 50% SAF and it aims to have its aircraft up to 100% SAF capable by 2030.
