Portuguese airline TAP lines up SAF usage

TAP has signed an agreement with Galp and Aeroportos de Portugal to begin the supply and use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on its Portugal flights.
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.