British Airways will become the first airline worldwide to use UK-produced sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from early next year.
The carrier has signed a deal with Phillips 66 to purchase SAF produced at the group’s Humber Refinery.
The fuel – produced from sustainable waste feedstock – will be delivered to BA via existing pipeline infrastructure which feeds directly into UK airports.
Phillips 66 said that BA will purchase “enough sustainable fuel to reduce lifecycle CO2 emissions by almost 100,000 tons, the equivalent of powering 700 net-zero CO2 emissions flights between London and New York on its fuel-efficient Boeing 787 aircraft”.
The news follows last month’s Memorandum of Understanding between BA’s parent company IAG and sustainable fuels technology firm Velocys, for the purchase of an expected 73 million gallons of SAF.
IAG signs deal for 73 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel
BA recently powered an A350 transatlantic service with 35 per cent SAF, in what it believes was “the first commercial transatlantic flight to ever be operated with this high percentage blend of sustainable aviation fuel”.
Humber Refinery general manager Darren Cunningham, the Lead Executive for Phillips 66 in the UK, said that the facility was currently refining almost half a million litres of sustainable waste feedstocks a day.
“This agreement with British Airways aligns with our strategy to create a refinery of the future, where we’re producing fuels from waste, being a critical part of the electric vehicle supply chain, reducing the carbon intensity of our processes through carbon capture and using hydrogen to power the refinery,” said Cunningham. “It secures long-term business in an ever-changing world.”
Meanwhile Sean Doyle, British Airways’ chairman and CEO, commented:
“This agreement marks another important step on our journey to net zero carbon emissions and forms part of our commitment, as part of International Airlines Group, to power 10 per cent of flights with SAF by 2030.
“The UK has the resources and capabilities to be a global leader in the development of SAF and scaling up the production of SAF requires a truly collaborative approach between industry and government.
“We are excited to develop our relationship with Phillips 66 Limited further by hopefully growing production capacity and using a wider range of sustainable waste feedstocks to supply our future flights.”
