TAP Air Portugal has partnered with airport authority ANA Aeroportos de Portugal and sustainable fuel provider Galp to develop, produce and supply sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) 'on a large scale' across the country.
The partnership will help align Portugal with the European Union’s 'RefuelEU Aviation' initiative aimed at increasing SAF usage by five per cent in 2030 and 63 per cent by 2050.
The carrier operated the country’s first SAF flight on 22 July from Lisbon to Ponta Delgada on an Airbus 321neo aircraft, where fuel included 39 per cent material of renewable origin (HEFA). According to the carrier, the reduction in emissions on this flight was 7.1 tonnes of CO2eq, which represents a 35 per cent decrease in total CO2 emissions. The SAF used on TAP flights will be supplied by Neste.
TAP CEO Christine Ourmières-Widener said the partnership marks an important step forward in the carrier’s sustainability plan.
“Aviation faces a considerable challenge that can only be overcome by taking steps such as this, which promotes the production of sustainable fuels in sufficient quantities, and at competitive prices, so we can continue moving forward in the green transition of the aviation sector,” she said.
TAP is a signatory to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) resolution which, in October 2021, committed to achieving zero carbon emissions by 2050, while ANA Aeroportos de Portugal has implemented a strategy across its 10 airports to improve carbon reduction efforts.
Ourmières-Widener added: “For all three companies, developing sustainably sourced aviation fuels (SAF) is a priority for moving towards an increasingly low-carbon industry, knowing that achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 will require a range of solutions – including electrification, hydrogen solutions, and SAF – working in combination.”