Dubai: Emirates signs deal with Shell for over 300,000 gallons of green aviation fuel

This is first time sustainable aviation fuel is supplied through the Dubai airport fuelling system

Waheed Abbas

Published: Mon 2 Oct 2023, 11:45 AM

Dubai’s Emirates airline has signed an agreement with Shell Aviation to supply over 300,000 gallons of blended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as the aviation industry pushes for greener fuel to combat the global climate challenges.

The supply is set to commence before the end of this year which will help in emissions reduction. This is the first time that SAF is supplied through the Dubai International (DXB) airport fuelling system.

As a safe and fully certified drop-in fuel compatible with existing aircraft fleet and airport infrastructure, SAF can be blended with conventional jet fuel at a ratio of up to 50 per cent, creating an aviation fuel that is significantly lower in lifecycle carbon emissions. In its neat form, SAF can reduce lifecycle emissions by up to 80 per cent compared to conventional jet fuel.

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Sir Tim Clark, president, Emirates airline, hoped that this new collaboration would develop further to provide an ongoing future supply of SAF in the airline’s hub, as there are currently no production facilities for SAF in the UAE.

“Aviation plays a vital role in Dubai and the wider UAE economy, and we look forward to continue collaborating with like-minded organisations and government entities to look at viable solutions that introduce more SAF, a fuel that is currently extremely limited in supply, into the aviation fuel supply chain and support Emirates’ efforts to reduce emissions across our operations,” he said.

Dubai’s flagship carrier operated its first demonstration flight on a Boeing 777-300ER, powering one of its engines with 100 per cent sustainable aviation fuel in January 2023. Emirates worked alongside partners GE Aerospace, Boeing, Honeywell, Neste and Virent to procure and develop a blend of SAF that closely replicates the properties of conventional jet fuel.

“Enabling SAF to be supplied at DXB for the first time is an important milestone and a perfect example of how the different parts of the aviation value chain have a role to play in unlocking progress on SAF. We hope that this can act as a springboard for more action on SAF across the aviation industry in the UAE and region, delivering another step forward for our net zero emissions journey,” said Chu Yong-Yi, vice president of Shell Corporate Travel.

As part of the agreement, Emirates will track SAF delivery and its use data through Avelia, a blockchain-powered SAF solution.

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