Ryanair and Shell sign sustainable fuel agreement

Ryanair and Shell have signed a Memo of Understanding (MOU) to supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at over 200 Ryanair airports across Europe.

There will be a particular focus on SAF supply at the low-fare carrier’s largest bases like Dublin and London Stansted.

At present, however, SAF accounts for a small part of jet fuel usage worldwide. This agreement with Shell will give Ryanair potential access to 360,000 tonnes (120m gallons) of SAF between 2025 and 2030, saving over approx. 900,000 tonnes in CO₂ emissions (equiv. to over 70,000 flights from Dublin to Milan).

This agreement ties in with the ambitious sustainable target which Ryanair has set itself of using 12.5% SAF by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050.

Speaking at Ryanair’s Sustainability Day in TCD, Sustainability Director, Thomas Fowler said:

“SAF plays a key role in our Pathway to Net Zero strategy, and also our commitment to a target of 12.5% SAF by 2030. Today’s agreement with Shell helps Ryanair secure access to c.20% of this ambitious goal. Shell is a key sustainability partner for Ryanair, and we look forward to building on this collaboration with Shell as our Group grows sustainably to carry 225m passengers annually by FY26.”

President of Shell Aviation, Jan Toschka, added:

“It is fantastic to build on our existing relationship with Ryanair to now look at what we can achieve together on sustainability. This initial agreement demonstrates that both companies recognise that SAF is the key to unlock a net zero future for aviation. We share the same ambition to enable Ryanair’s passengers to fly lower carbon.”