Singapore Airlines Pioneers Green Aviation in the Region
On May 6, Singapore Airlines Group (SIA) made a significant announcement regarding the purchase of 1,000 metric tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from Neste, a Finnish company known for establishing the world’s largest SAF production facility in Singapore last year.
SIA and its budget carrier Scoot will pioneer the direct use of this clean SAF, sourced from biomass materials and produced at Neste’s refinery at Changi Airport. The expanded refinery, operational since May 2023, highlights a capacity to annually produce up to one million tonnes of SAF.
Neste will blend the SAF with traditional jet fuel to meet safety standards and supply the blended fuel to Changi Airport’s fuel hydrant system in two installments – scheduled for the second and fourth quarters of 2024, as per SIA's announcement on May 8. Neste’s SAF is sourced entirely from renewable raw materials such as used cooking oil and animal fat waste, boasting an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional jet fuel.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) revealed its ambitious industry plan earlier in February this year to have all flights departing from Singapore with 1% SAF in their tanks by 2026, with plans to escalate this to 3-5% by 2030. At global level, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has also set a goal for the international flight operations to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.