Air New Zealand is leading the way towards net zero emissions and yesterday announced a deal to take 9 million litres of SAF produced by Neste.
Air New Zealand has made it very clear that it wants to be at the forefront of commercial aviation’s march toward net zero emissions by 2050. The full-service carrier has launched several initiatives and invited suppliers from around the globe to partner with it on projects as diverse as electrically powered turboprops to developing a sustainable aviation fuel industry in New Zealand.
SAF is the answer for long-haul
While Air New Zealand has a thriving domestic and regional operation, the bulk of its carbon emissions come from long-haul flying across the Pacific Ocean or to Asia, using Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 777-300ER widebody jets. While new propulsion technologies, such as hydrogen, continue to develop, the airline has identified that it needs sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to reach its interim decarbonization goals, and it is not sitting on its hands waiting for it to arrive. Yesterday, Air New Zealand announced it had signed an agreement with Neste, the global leader in SAF production, to purchase 9 million litres (2.4m gallons) of sustainable aviation fuel for delivery before the end of this year. The SAF will be produced at Neste’s Singapore Refinery, and the nine million litres of neat Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel represents the largest purchase of SAF from Neste made by any airline outside North America and Europe for delivery before the end of 2024.
Air New Zealand’s Chair, Dame Therese Walsh, made the announcement while in Singapore with a business delegation to Southeast Asia led by New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, a former CEO of Air New Zealand. She said that decarbonizing Air New Zealand’s operations is essential for its long-term ability to connect New Zealanders to the world and support the country’s trade and tourism sectors, adding that “SAF is a key enabler of this.”
“Sustainable aviation fuel is currently the only solution to significantly reduce emissions from long-haul flight, but it currently makes up less than 1% of the global fuel supply. While the SAF supply is small compared to the airline’s overall fuel use, it is nine times the size of Air New Zealand’s first shipment of SAF from Neste in 2022.”
The neat SAF will be blended with conventional jet fuel to meet the required fuel specifications and supplied to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) between 1 April and 30 November 2024. Air New Zealand recently celebrated four decades of nonstop flights between Auckland and Los Angeles. Although the route launched in 1965 with refuelling stops in Fiji, Tahiti or Honolulu, it took a Boeing 747 to fly the route nonstop in 1984.
Filling up with SAF at LAX
Since 1984, Air New Zealand has operated more than 40,000 flights between Auckland Airport (AKL) and Los Angeles, carrying more than 12 million passengers. The airline currently operates ten return services weekly using a Boeing 777-300ER, so these flights will soon fill up with Neste SAF at LAX. Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% (when used neat) over the fuel’s life cycle, compared to conventional jet fuel. SAF is blended with conventional jet fuel before use and works seamlessly with existing aircraft engines and fuelling infrastructure. To produce SAF Neste uses sustainably sourced, 100% renewable waste and residue raw materials, such as used cooking oil and animal fat waste. Once again, Air New Zealand has taken a bold step to pursue emission reductions now rather than waiting for something magical to happen as the clock ticks down to 2050.
(Source: Simple Flying, Michael Doran. Photo/ Patrick Weis, Shutterstock)
