Qatar Airways Signs Deal For 25 Million Liters Of SAF From 2028

Qatar Airways has made a key step towards achieving its wider sustainability goals by signing a deal to receive 25 million liters (5.5 million gallons) of sustainable aviation fuel. The Middle Eastern oneworld member will begin receiving this in six years, with a view to taking on the full amount by 2033. Let’s take a look at the deal.

A key deal

As reported by Zawya, Colorado-based renewable biofuel company Gevo will provide the SAF to Qatar Airways, with the deal between the pair not being their first instance of collaboration. Indeed, Gevo is already part of an agreement that will see it provide 200 million liters (44 million gallons) of SAF to the oneworld alliance.

The deliveries of Gevo’s SAF to Qatar Airways will commence in 2028 at airports in the US federal state of California. With the deal set to run for five years, the Doha-headquartered carrier will receive five million liters of SAF annually. The airline doesn’t plan to use it to exclusively fuel its aircraft; rather, it will form part of a blend with conventional fuel. Its CEO, Akbar Al Baker, stated that:

“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.”

Photo: Airbus

Working towards a wider goal

The airline’s deal with Gevo makes it, as Zawya notes, the first from the Middle East and Africa region to commit to the offtake of SAF on an international level. The partnership comes just in time to help it achieve one of its preliminary targets regarding the use of such fuel in its operations. In this regard, Al Baker explains:

“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.”

It isn’t just the fuel that Gevo produces that is sustainable, but also the way that it goes about doing so. Its CEO, Dr Patrick Gruber, states that every aspect of the company’s business system is sustainably angled. Examples of this include “sustainably grown feedstock [and] using renewable energy for production.”

Photo: Boeing

A strong interest in SAF

According to Qatar Airways, the SAF that it plans to acquire from Gevo will meet sustainability certification criteria regulated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). This shows the carrier’s commitment to doing things properly in this regard, although it shouldn’t come as a surprise, given its interest in SAF.

Indeed, it has long been invested in alternative fuel concepts, with Simple Flying reporting almost a year ago that Akbar Al Baker had highlighted the need for greater SAF production. While his airline is aiming for a 10% usage rate by 2030, the Qatar Airways Group CEO has said that the carrier would use more if it were available.

What do you make of this deal? Did you know about Qatar Airways’ sustainability targets? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Source: Zawya