Qatar Airways and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) producer Gevo, Inc. have signed an offtake agreement, where the airline will purchase 25 million US gallons of neat SAF over the course of five years, with deliveries expected to commence in 2028 at various airports in California. Qatar Airways will be uplifting 5 million US gallons of neat SAF every year and will blend it with its existing supply of conventional jet fuel. The airline became the first airline in the Middle East and Africa region to announce its commitment to an international SAF offtake agreement.
This partnership is part of the airline’s earlier commitment, along with other oneworld® Alliance members, to purchase up to 200 million US gallons of SAF from Gevo. SAF is one of the pillars of Qatar Airways and oneworld’s plan to reach 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. The alliance subsequently committed to a target of 10% sustainable aviation fuel use across the alliance by 2030. Qatar Airways is very keen to ramp up the use of SAF at a commercial level, noting that the SAF to be purchased will be certified under the sustainability criteria laid down by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Compared with fossil-based jet fuel, SAF results in the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions across its lifecycle. Today’s technology allows for CO2 reductions from the use of SAF to reach 85% when compared to conventional jet fuel.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “Qatar Airways continues to prioritize our commitment to net-zero flying by the middle of this century. Decarbonizing 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 in order 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 sustainability 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 reach their emission reduction goals.”
Qatar Airways has made significant progress toward achieving environmental sustainability and decarbonization. Qatar Airways is flying with one of the sky’s youngest and most fuel-efficient fleets. It is the first airline in the Middle East to secure accreditation to the highest level in the IATA Environmental Assessment Programme (IEnvA). It is the first carrier to join the IATA CO2NNECT platform offering a new voluntary carbon offsetting program for air cargo shipments, continuing to advance an ambitious agenda to demonstrate environmental leadership across the global aviation industry.