Emirates has today announced the signing of an agreement with Shell Aviation for the supply of over 300,000 gallons of blended SAF at the carrier’s hub at Dubai International Airport (DXB).
On Monday (October 2, 2023), Emirates announced the signing of an agreement with Shell Aviation for the provision of more than 300,000 gallons of blended Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) at their international hub at Dubai International Airport (DXB). Under the agreement, the first supply of SAF will de delivered by the end of 2023, marking the first time that the sustainable fuel will be supplied through the DXB airport fueling system. Emirates will track SAF delivery and its use data through Avelia, one of the world’s first blockchain-powered SAF solutions. Avelia is powered by Shell Aviation and Accenture, with support from Energy Web together and American Express Global business travel. This is the latest step in Emirates’ environmental strategy which is focused on emissions reduction and responsible consumption, as well as the conservation of wildlife and habitats.
In Monday’s announcement, Emirates Airline’s President, Sir Tim Clark, said,
“We are proud to work in partnership with Shell to make a SAF supply available for Emirates in Dubai for the first time, and to utilise the Avelia platform that provides business travellers the flexibility to align their sustainability targets and reduce their environmental footprint when travelling. We hope that this collaboration develops further to provide an ongoing future supply of SAF in our hub, as there are currently no production facilities for SAF in the UAE. Aviation plays a vital role in Dubai and the wider UAE economy, and we look forward to continue collaborating with like-minded organisations and government entities to look at viable solutions that introduce more SAF, a fuel that is currently extremely limited in supply, into the aviation fuel supply chain and support Emirates’ efforts to reduce emissions across our operations.”
Also commenting on the new SAF collaboration, Shell’s Vice President - Corporate Travel, Chu Yong-Yi, added,
“Emirates and Shell have a long-standing commercial relationship, and it is fantastic to build on this to now work together on decarbonisation. This agreement marks a step forward for the aviation industry in the UAE. Enabling SAF to be supplied at DXB for the first time is an important milestone, and a perfect example of how the different parts of the aviation value chain have a role to play in unlocking progress on SAF. We hope that this can act as a springboard for more action on SAF across the aviation industry in the UAE and region, delivering another step forward for our net zero emissions journey.”
The safe and fully-certified drop-in SAF is compatible with existing aircraft and airport infrastructure, and can be blended with conventional jet fuel at a ratio of up to 50 percent. On a lifecycle basis, SAF can reduce emissions by up to 80 percent compared to traditional jet fuel. Earlier this year, Emirates completed their first 100 percent SAF-powered flight in the region. In 2017, the carrier conducted their first SAF-powered flight with service from Chicago (ORD) to Dubai (DXB) with a Boeing 777. Emirates has also uplifted SAF for select flights from Stockholm, and currently operates blended SAF flights from Paris, Lyon and Oslo.
Source: Emirates