Emirates has begun using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as part of its fuel agreement with Neste on flights departing from Singapore Changi Airport, marking its inaugural SAF investment in Asia.
It said that over the last few weeks, approximately 3.3 million litres of blended SAF have been integrated into Changi Airport's fuelling system.
Emirates said it is tracking the delivery of SAF into the fuelling systems, accounting for and assigning its environmental benefits through widely used and accepted industry methodologies.
Earlier this year, the airline closely collaborated with Neste to supply 2.6 million litres of neat SAF to Amsterdam Schiphol airport's fuelling systems.
Neste's SAF is produced from sustainably sourced and 100% renewable waste and residue raw materials, including used cooking oil and animal fat waste.
SAF used as part of this agreement can be safely used in existing Emirates aircraft and airport fuelling infrastructure and, in neat form, reduces lifecycle carbon emissions (CO2) by up to 80%* compared to using conventional jet fuel.
"Emirates' investment into Neste-produced SAF in Singapore marks a first step forward in our SAF adoption in Asia, a region that is primed to become a leading supplier of SAF, which continues to be in short supply," said Adel Al Redha, deputy president and chief operations officer, Emirates.
"While the activation of this agreement marks a milestone in our SAF journey in a new region, there's still a lot of work to do. As we procure SAF for the short term, we've got our sights set on longer-term agreements to help scale up a steady supply of SAF for our operations," he added.
Alexander Kueper, vice president of the renewable aviation business of Neste, said Emirates' use of Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel at Changi Airport makes it the first international visiting carrier using SAF at the airport produced at its Singapore refinery and supplied into the airport via our integrated supply chain.
"We are looking forward to continuing to collaborate on scaling up the supply of SAF for Emirates' operations," Kueper added.
Emirates noted that its multi-faceted SAF strategy focuses on exploring opportunities to use SAF operationally wherever it is available in its network, share emissions reductions with corporate customers or freight forwarders where feasible, cooperate on longer-term SAF projects with reputable partners and support SAF ventures in the UAE with the potential to supply sustainable aviation fuel at its hub in the future.
Emirates currently operates flights from Amsterdam, London Heathrow, Paris, Lyon and Oslo with SAF.
The airline also integrated SAF into the fuelling systems at its Dubai hub late last year.
In 2023, Emirates was also the first airline in the world to operate two landmark demonstration flights from Dubai on the Boeing 777 and A380 with 100% SAF in one engine in partnership with Neste and other committed partners. This supports future certification where a 100% drop in SAF is approved for commercial airline operations.
Currently, SAF is approved for use in all aircraft but only in blends of up to 50% with conventional jet fuel.
The airline has also committed USD$200 million for research and development (R&D) projects focussed on reducing the impact of fossil fuels in commercial aviation, and last month became an industrial partner of the Aviation Impact Accelerator (AIA), based at the University of Cambridge.
The airline is a member of the Solent Cluster in the UK, an initiative focused on low-carbon investments. If operational by 2032, the cluster's initiative could create a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) plant that can produce up to 200,000 tonnes (200 kt) per year.
Emirates is also a founding participant of the UAE research consortium Air-CRAFT, focused on developing, producing, and scaling sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) technologies for the industry.