Air France-KLM has set itself the objective of incorporating 10% of SAF (sustainable aviation fuels) into its fuel in 2030, more than the 6% required by the European Union.
Air France-KLM is the company best committed to the path of fuels of non-fossil origin, within a global aviation sector where few are investing “seriously” in this lever of decarbonization, said a specialized think tank on Tuesday. In a new sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) observatory, Transport & Environment evaluates 77 airlines for their use of these products, on the path to “zero net emissions” of CO2 promised on the horizon 2050.
“Only 10 are making notable efforts to move from fossil kerosene to truly sustainable alternatives. The other 67 are either buying too little SAF, or the wrong type of SAF (e.g. based on food crops, Editor's note), or are not considering not at all the SAF in their decarbonization plans”, assures T&E, based in Brussels.
However, notes the group, SAF, produced from biomass, used oil or ultimately, hydrogen and carbon-free electricity (e-kerosene), represent the main way for companies to significantly reduce their carbon footprint , without waiting for a technological breakthrough from aircraft manufacturers.
Historical oil producers produce too little SAF
But he also places the blame on “historical oil producers” who “are not investing sufficiently in the transition to sustainable fuels”. “Eni, TotalEnergies, Shell, BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Sinopec and Saudi Aramco plan to produce only 3 million tonnes of SAF by 2030, or less than 3% of their current production dedicated to aviation,” notes Transportation & Environment. Furthermore, “the e-kerosene market is currently dominated by small refiners and start-ups, which do not have the financial capacity to produce enough to meet the needs of the mass market in the long term,” warns the group.
“Airlines must change this situation by banging their fist on the table. They must quickly make their fuel suppliers understand that what they sell them will not make their flights more environmentally friendly. Otherwise, they will be able to say goodbye to their objective of net zero emissions”, underlines Jérôme du Boucher, aviation manager at T&E France, quoted in a press release.
If “no company obtains the maximum score” in the T&E ranking, Air France-KLM stands out “because it already uses SAF via advanced biofuels and biofuels from waste (cooking oil)”. Its runners-up are United Airlines and Norwegian. Air France-KLM has set itself the objective of incorporating 10% SAF into its fuel in 2030, more than the 6% required by the EU.
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