Emirates has commenced the activation of its fuel agreement with Neste this month at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

It said that over the course of 2024, over 2 million gallons of blended SAF will be supplied into the fuelling system at Schiphol Airport.

The airline will track the delivery of SAF into the fuelling systems and environmental benefits using standard industry accounting methodologies.

Emirates said its partnership with Neste, announced late last year, represents one of the largest volumes of SAF that the airline has purchased to date.

Once fully supplied into Amsterdam Schiphol's fuelling system, the blended SAF will have been comprised of over 700,000 gallons of neat SAF.

The airline is also working with Neste to supply SAF into the fuelling systems at Singapore Changi Airport in the next few months.

"Collaborating with committed partners like Neste is one of the practical steps we are taking to reduce our emissions, and it's an all-important milestone in our own sustainability journey as an airline," said Adel Al Redha, deputy president and chief operations officer, Emirates.

"Strong partnerships like this, especially at major air transport hubs such as Amsterdam, lay the foundation for how we can work with partners and airports to increase access to and availability of SAF across our network," he added.

Alexander Kueper, vice president of renewable aviation at Neste, noted that SAF is an available solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from air travel, and it is exciting that Emirates has started using our Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

"It is also a great example of how we are working together with partners to accelerate SAF usage and are looking forward to the next steps of our cooperation," he added.

SAF used in this agreement can be safely dropped into existing jet engines and airport fuelling infrastructure. In neat form, it reduces lifecycle carbon emissions by up to 80%* compared to conventional jet fuel.  

Emirates said its first flight powered by SAF blended with jet fuel took place in 2017 from Chicago.

The airline currently operates flights from Paris, Lyon and Oslo with SAF. In October of last year, Emirates, with the support of partners, also integrated SAF into Dubai Airport fuelling systems, allocating the SAF to a number of flights, including a flight to Sydney.