Emirates flew a plane to Sydney with only SAF sustainable fuel
The first Emirates flights operating on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) provided by [...] took off from Dubai International Airport (DXB).
Emirates
SYD
The first Emirates flights operating with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) provided by Shell Aviation. Emirates flight EK 412 bound for Sydney October 24 was among the first to operate with SAF. Shell supplied 315,000 gallons of SAF blend for use at the airline's hub in Dubai. This first-ever supply of SAF to Emirates in Dubai has enabled the airline to fuel a series of missions over the past few weeks.
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The blend of SAF supplied by Shell to the DXB airport fueling system. was composed of a ratio of 40% of pure SAF and 60% of conventional Jet A-1 fuel. The chemical characteristics with this ratio are identical to conventional jet fuel and can be seamlessly integrated into the airport's existing fuel infrastructure and into the engines of the entire Emirates fleet without necessary modifications.
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In its pure form, SAF reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80%* over its life cycle compared to conventional jet fuel. Emirates has also tracked the delivery, utilization, and environmental benefits of SAF through Avelia, Shell Aviation's blockchain-based practice and claims management solution.
Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline, said, "We are pursuing proactive measures to enable more sustainable flights now and in the future, and enhancing flights from our Dubai hub is just one of the steps we have taken to reduce emissions and concretely help our customers minimize their carbon footprint. We still have a long way to go, and we hope that our partnership with Shell Aviation will inspire more manufacturers to fill gaps in supply and make SAF readily available at major hubs like Dubai, as well as other points on our network."
Jan Toschka, President of Shell Aviation, said, "Emirates and Shell have a long history of collaboration, and we are excited to continue this journey together to enable the use of SAF in the UAE. This first supply of SAF to Emirates in Dubai is an example of what can be achieved when different parts of the aviation value chain come together. It is our hope that this milestone will inspire further progress in the adoption of SAF throughout the aviation industry in the UAE and the broader region."
Earlier this year, Emirates and Shell have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore areas of collaboration related to sustainable travel and technology-driven travel experiences. Emirates and Shell have agreed to jointly evaluate mechanisms to reduce travel emissions for Shell's business travel needs, and the airline is currently using the Avelia platform to enable transparent tracking of SAF's environmental benefits for its customers. They will also explore ways to improve the travel experience by offering customized products relevant to today's corporate travelers through new technologies including New Distribution Capabilities (NDC). Emirates' development of these new options in NDC provides an opportunity for Shell to be an early adopter of this technology.
Emirates' longstanding efforts have been and continue to be rooted in tangible and meaningful actions in three areas of focus that make up its environmental framework: emissions reduction, responsible consumption, and wildlife and habitat conservation. This year, the airline announced the establishment of a $200 million fund for research and development (R&D) projects focused on reducing the impact of fossil fuels in commercial aviation, which is one of the largest sustainability commitments of any airline. Over the next three years, Emirates will identify partnerships with leading organizations working on solutions in advanced fuel and energy technologies.
The airline has been actively working to strengthen the body of research on the industry's understanding of the use of SAF in higher blends, its performance, safety and reliability, supporting the standardization and future certification of the 100% SAF, which is currently not yet approved for regular commercial use . The airline first began using SAF in 2017 when it upgraded it on a flight from Chicago, and since then flights from Stockholm, Paris, Lyon, and Oslo have also operated with mixed SAF.