Portuguese airline TAP lines up SAF usage
The first flight in Portugal fuelled with SAF departed on July 22 for a flight between Lisbon and Ponta Delgada.
The fuel included a blend containing 39% SAF from Neste and was of waste and recycled oils, referred to as HEFA (Hydrotreated Esters and Fatty Acids).
The partnership, formally signed in a ceremony attended by TAP CEO Christine Ourmières-Widener, Galp CEO Andy Brown and ANA CEO Thierry Ligonnière, is in line with the European Commission’s ‘Fit for 55’ climate package.
Christine Ourmières-Widener, TAP CEO, said: “Our flight and the signing of this agreement – marks an important step forward in TAP’s sustainability plan, but it is not the first step we have taken.
“Since 2018, TAP has been renewing its fleet, integrating more energy-efficient aircraft. NEO aircraft have high-efficiency engines and improved aerodynamics that reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 20%.”
She added: “For all three companies, developing sustainably sourced aviation fuels (SAF) is a priority for moving towards an increasingly low-carbon industry, knowing that achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 will require a range of solutions – including electrification, hydrogen solutions, and SAF – working in combination. Aviation is changing and TAP is a part of the change.”
The partnership includes the ‘RefuelEU Aviation’ legislative initiative aimed at increasing the supply and demand for SAF in the European Union and its use by 2% by 2025, 5% by 2030 and 63% by 2050.