Qatar Airways and Gevo Announce Collaboration to Buy 25 Million US Gallons of Certified Sustainable Aviation Fuel
Qatar Airways and Gevo, Inc., a company that makes sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), have signed an offtake agreement. The airline will buy 25 million US gallons of clean SAF from Gevo over the next five years. Deliveries will start at different airports in California in 2028.
Qatar Airways will get 5 million US gallons of pure SAF every year and mix it with the regular jet fuel it already has. The airline was the first in the Middle East and Africa region to say it would sign an international SAF offtake agreement.
This is part of the airline's promise to buy up to 200 million US gallons of SAF from Gevo with other members of the oneworld® Alliance. SAF is a key component of Qatar Airways and oneworld's ambition to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
In September 2020, oneworld became the first global airline alliance to unite behind a common target to achieve carbon neutrality with net zero carbon emissions by 2050. After that, the alliance agreed to use 10% sustainable aviation fuel across the alliance by 2030. Qatar Airways wants to increase the number of commercial flights that use SAF. The SAF that will be bought will be certified as sustainable by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
Compared to jet fuel made from fossil fuels, SAF causes less carbon dioxide to be released throughout its life. With the technology we have now, using SAF instead of regular jet fuel can cut CO2 by as much as 85%.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said:
“Qatar Airways continues to prioritise our commitment to net-zero flying by the middle of this century. Decarbonising aviation requires a gradual incorporation of lower carbon and sustainable aviation fuels, and we are proud to collaborate on this global effort for a better future. Joining forces with fellow oneworld members, we are supporting Gevo to establish its SAF-producing facilities to ramp up SAF supply and get closer to our goal of replacing 10% of our conventional jet fuel with SAF by 2030.”
“By working with farmers on regenerative agricultural practices, Gevo can sustainably source feedstock to produce sustainable aviation fuel while also increasing soil health, sequestering carbon, and providing nutritional products to the food chain, said Dr. Patrick R. Gruber, Gevo’s Chief Executive Officer. “By building sustainability into every step of our business system, from sustainably grown feedstock to using renewable energy for production, we are helping Qatar Airways and other members of the oneworld alliance to achieve their emission reduction goals.”
Qatar Airways has made great strides toward environmental sustainability and carbon reduction. Qatar Airways operates one of the most modern and fuel-efficient fleets in the world.
It is the first airline in the Middle East to get the highest level of accreditation in the IATA Environmental Assessment Programme (IEnvA). It is also the first carrier to join the IATA CO2NNECT platform, which offers a new voluntary carbon offsetting programme for air cargo shipments. This is part of an ambitious plan to show environmental leadership in the global aviation industry.
Source: Qatar Airways
