13
July
2021
|
10:49
Europe/Amsterdam

Sustainable aviation fuel now for scheduled flights too

Summary

A scheduled flight aircraft has been fuelled with sustainable aviation fuel at Zurich Airport for the first time. Thanks to new customs regulations in force since 1 July 2021, the regular use of this type of fuel is now possible.

SAF Fueling

Flughafen Zürich AG - in conjunction with partners - already showed in January 2020 that the import and use of sustainable aviation fuels in Switzerland is possible. On that occasion, sustainable aviation fuel, also known as SAF, was used as a one-off for business jets travelling to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. Since then, the basis for the regular use of SAF has been developed under the aegis of Flughafen Zürich AG together with the General Customs Directorate, SWISS and Avenergy plus a number of other partners. 

New, amended customs regulations came into force on 1 July 2021 which enable the import of SAF into Switzerland on a regular basis. A blend of sustainable and fossil fuel is imported which is fuelled via regular, existing hydrants at Zurich Airport. SWISS was the first airline to take receipt of a delivery of SAF. However, the agreed customs procedure allows all other fuel importers at all airports in Switzerland to import SAF.

Emanuel Fleuti, Head of Sustainability and Environment at Flughafen Zürich AG
The fact that we have succeeded in developing a process together to import SAF into Switzerland is a milestone. We consider the use of sustainable aviation fuels as the most important measure for reducing CO2 in aviation.
Emanuel Fleuti, Head of Sustainability and Environment at Flughafen Zürich AG

Pure SAF of the type of fuel that can now be imported results in a reduction in CO2 of at least 80% on fossil kerosene. In future, it will be important for sustainable aviation fuels to be produced in larger quantities and more cost-effectively. The plan is to make greater use of synthetic fuels too.

Flughafen Zürich AG, as the operator of the airport infrastructure, has set itself the goal of reducing its CO2 emissions to net zero by 2050. Since 1990, the company has reduced its CO2 emissions by almost 50%, primarily through building-related measures. The strategy of Flughafen Zürich AG also directly comprises the production of synthetic fuels. Specifically, the company supports the research and development of synthetic fuels using solar power by the company Synhelion by purchasing the fuel at prime cost and using it in ground vehicles at the airport in future.

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SAF: Sustainable Aviation Fuel

Video in German only.