Singapore Airlines operates blended SAF flight
Singapore Airlines (SIA) and GenZero, an investment platform dedicated to accelerating decarbonisation globally, announced the delivery of blended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to Changi Airport via the airport’s fuel hydrant system on 7 July 2022.
The carrier says this was the first time blended SAF is uplifted onto SIA and Scoot departing flights at Changi Airport as part of a pilot programme. Lee Wen Fen, Senior Vice President Corporate Planning, Singapore Airlines, said at the time: “Today marks an important milestone in the SIA Group’s decarbonisation journey, as we uplift a blend of sustainable aviation fuel and jet fuel into our aircraft departing out of Singapore for the first time. Sustainable aviation fuels are a key decarbonisation lever, and this pilot demonstrates our commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Working together with our partners, we will continue support the adoption of SAF in Singapore.”
Under this pilot, 1,000 tonnes of neat SAF will be supplied by Neste and blended with refined jet fuel at ExxonMobil’s facilities in Singapore.
The pilot, which is expected to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 2,500 tonnes, was announced in November 2021 and aims to advance the use of SAF in Singapore. It is a follow-up to a study conducted by the Singapore Government and industry players on the operational and commercial viability of using SAF at Changi Airport.
As part of the pilot, CAAS, SIA and Temasek also announced the sale of 1,000 SAF credits from July 2022. This provides customers including corporate and individual travellers, as well as freight forwarders, an avenue to reduce their carbon footprint, stimulate demand for SAF, support the development of the nascent SAF industry and advance the adoption of SAF for aviation sustainability.
Sami Jauhiainen, Vice President of Renewable Aviation for the Asia-Pacific region, Neste, said: “We are excited to see Singapore Airlines starting today the use of Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel in their flight operations. The collaboration with ExxonMobil, Singapore Airlines, Temasek and CAAS demonstrates the potential of SAF in reducing aviation’s emissions and helps accelerate its use in Singapore and globally. Neste is committed to play its part as we are starting SAF production in Singapore in the first quarter of 2023 with one million tonnes of production capacity per annum.”