Atlas Air will start procuring sustainable aviation fuel from Madrid-based energy company Repsol under a 5 percent SAF deal for all its cargo flights departing Zaragoza Airport for customer Inditex.
The initiative is in line with the airline operator’s contribution to the sustainability of the aviation sector, as well as each company’s individual commitments to achieve their carbon reduction goals.
Atlas Air, now considered the first cargo airline to use SAF regularly in Spain, is anticipating upcoming compliance mandates included in the ReFuelEU Aviation regulations, which require use of 2 percent renewable fuel in 2025, 6 percent in 2030 and 70 percent in 2050.
Richard Broekman, chief commercial officer and head of sustainability for Atlas Air Worldwide, said it is critical for the sector to work together in driving wider adoption and availability of SAF, and the agreement will aim at enhancing local production, both in terms of refinery capacity and in the sourcing of nearby raw materials.
Repsol has been manufacturing biofuels for 25 years and has more than 30 service stations in the Iberian Peninsula that supply 100 percent renewable fuel to customers. The company is set to open a 200-million-euro plant in Cartagena in the next few weeks, which will be dedicated to the production of advanced biofuel with capacity for 250,000 tonnes of SAF and renewable diesel each year.
IATA estimates that 120,000 tonnes of SAF will be needed in Spain by 2025 to cover the 2 percent obligation imposed by the European Union.
The ReFuelEU Aviation initiative is part of the ‘Fit for 55’ package. Presented by the European Commission on 14 July 2021, the package aims to enable the EU to reduce its net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels and to achieve climate neutrality in 2050.
On 2 June 2022, the Transport Council reached a general approach on the proposal. Following interinstitutional negotiations between the Council and the European Parliament (trilogues), the two co-legislators reached a provisional political agreement on the file on 25 April 2023.
