Air Greenland is taking a major step toward more sustainable flying and becoming a global leader by signing a historic agreement on aviation fuel made from biowaste.
Bio-based SAF will account for as much as 5% of the fuel consumed on the route between Kangerlussuaq and Copenhagen in the future. Air Greenland is significantly ahead of the rest of Europe’s aviation industry because of these investments.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
It is the newest aviation fuel type, generated from waste and leftover renewable raw materials like discarded cooking oil. SAF reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 80%* over the course of its lifecycle when compared to fossil jet fuel.
As a result of their comparable chemical composition, fossil jet fuel and SAF can be used interchangeably. Because it is completely compatible with aircraft engines and fueling infrastructure, neither are further investments necessary.
Flights between Copenhagen Air terminal and Kangerlussuaq will be fueled with Economical Flight Fuel, a more maintainable aviation fuel (SAF). This was made possible by a historic collaboration between Shell Aviation Denmark, DCC, and Air Greenland. SAF is produced using biowaste, including spent cooking oil.
Bodil Marie Damgaard, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Air Greenland, says:
“Since 2019, Air Greenland’s Board of Directors has been working strategically to modernise the fleet with more sustainable aircraft and helicopters. We want to support the goal of Greenland becoming a sustainable destination by reducing fuel consumption and thus our CO2 emissions. The desire to contribute to the green transition in aviation is deeply rooted in Air Greenland’s culture, and sustainability has therefore been a weighty element in connection with the replacement of our Atlantic aircraft with an A330neo”
Jacob Nitter Sørensen, CEO of Air Greenland, elaborates:
“With our new transatlantic aircraft, we will reduce fuel consumption and at the same time commit to using 5 per cent SAF on all Tuukkaq flights. This will reduce our CO2 emissions even more. I am proud that with this agreement, Air Greenland can be among the leading airlines in the green transition in Europe”
The Agreement
According to the agreement, the route to and from Copenhagen will use SAF fuel to a degree that has never been achieved in Denmark or throughout Europe. SAF will annually pay 5% of the expenditures related to flying. “Air Greenland is thus taking a substantial initiative into a future when aviation will have to comply with standards for the use of SAF within the next few years,” says Ulrik V. Brendstrup, Managing Director of DCC & Shell Aviation Denmark.
He also added,
“In light of the fact that the EU has a 2025 ambition that airlines in Europe must fly on at least 2 per cent SAF, it is a really big step we are now taking together with Air Greenland. In reality, this is a remarkable initiative – also in an international perspective. It is by far the largest SAF supply agreement we have ever signed,”
Delivery to Copenhagen Airport
The largest airport in Denmark will now receive SAF for the first time as a result of a deal between Air Greenland and DCC & Shell Aviation Denmark. The infrastructure as a whole will include the delivery of SAF to Air Greenland. The arrangement ushers in a new era for Copenhagen Airport, according to Thomas Woldbye, CEO of Copenhagen Airports A/S.
He also added,
“There is no doubt that the use of more sustainable aviation fuels is crucial to accelerate the green transition in aviation, and at Copenhagen Airport, we are actively working to promote the development and use of these fuels. Therefore, we are very pleased that DCC & Shell Aviation are now introducing SAF at Copenhagen Airport. While we are waiting for the right framework conditions to ensure that the development and scaling of the new PtX fuels really takes off, the bio-based fuels are a good place to start, and I hope that Air Greenland’s exemplary initiative will inspire other companies operating at the airport”.
