SIA Group is taking the lead in supporting the production and use of sustainable aviation fuel, as Singapore Airlines and Scoot have set a group target to use SAF for 5 percent of its total fuel requirements by 2030.
Goh Choon Phong, CEO of Singapore Airlines, admits that deeper collaboration with partners and stakeholders is needed to make this possible.
SIA considers the greater use of SAF as a key lever in its decarbonisation strategy, which includes investments in new generation aircraft and greater operational efficiencies. This makes the newly set target critical to the group’s net zero ambition by 2050.
Over the last few years, the Group has been working closely with partners to better understand the operational and commercial considerations that would support the greater supply and adoption of SAF.
In 2020, SIA entered a year-long partnership with Swedavia Airport to deploy a blend of jet fuel and SAF through the airport’s fuel hydrant system on flights between Stockholm and Moscow. This partnership improved the Group’s understanding of the logistics and procurement of renewable fuels.
In September 2023, SIA, together with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and GenZero, concluded a 20-month SAF pilot. Under this initiative, 1,000 tonnes of neat SAF were imported, blended in Singapore, and uplifted via Changi Airport’s fuel hydrant system on SIA and Scoot flights. The amount of SAF supply generated equivalent credits through a trusted industry standard, which were offered to corporates and freight forwarders as an avenue to reduce their carbon footprint while supporting the development of a nascent SAF industry.
The pilot reaffirmed Singapore’s operational readiness for sustainable fuel, and affirmed that transactions in SAF credits can be conducted in a trusted and transparent manner.
SIA is sharing its learnings with industry partners to raise awareness and support for SAF among corporates, build the credibility of the Book & Claim system, and encourage efforts to scale up the adoption of SAF.
The airline said discussions with fuel suppliers on opportunities to purchase SAF are ongoing, and further details will be announced at the appropriate time.
The announcement follows a similar resolution passed by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines during the closing of its Presidents Assembly on 10 November in Singapore, of which Singapore Airlines is a member. The trade association has set a collective target of 5 percent SAF use by 2030.
