Air bp SAF available at VINCI’s Clermont-Ferrand Airport
Air bp SAF has been supplied at VINCI Airports Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne Airport, since 19th April, the firm’s first ongoing supply of SAF in the country. Located in the Auvergne region of central France, the airport’s first customer is Michelin Air Services whose demand will account for around 30% of the airport’s total fuel volume.
The fuels have been issued by Air bp under a refuelling contract with VINCI. The SAF supplied is made from waste based sustainable feedstocks such as used cooking oil which is blended with traditional jet fuel. The SAF blend supplied is around 35% SAF and the SAF component provides a lifecycle carbon reduction of around 80% compared to the traditional jet fuel it replaces.
Andreea Moyes, sustainability director, Air bp, said: “We are excited to see our first ongoing SAF supply in France. Air bp is a strong facilitator in the supply of SAF and recently announced a number of agreements in the UK. This underlines bp’s commitment to working with stakeholders to explore its viable sale and purchase, which we believe is one of the aviation industry’s key routes to reducing carbon emissions and supports bp’s net zero ambition.”
Biofuels are one of the main pillars of VINCI Airports’ environmental commitment to decarbonise aviation. In France, VINCI said biofuels represent a decarbonisation solution for aviation that can be implemented immediately, before other breakthroughs such as hydrogen-powered aircraft intervene.
Nicolas Notebaert, chairman, VINCI Airports, said: “Sustainable biofuels represent a short-term solution to decarbonise aviation, and are an integral part of the ambitious environmental strategy that we have been pursuing since 2015 to reduce our carbon footprint and involve our stakeholders in this same movement. We are happy with this progress and remain mobilised to contribute, alongside industrial players, to developing less carbon-intensive aviation that is compatible with the aspirations of travellers.”
VINCI Airports has been committed since 2015 to controlling and reducing its environmental impacts. Which has resulted in a 22% reduction of gross CO2 emissions between 2018 and 2020 across its entire network.
“The preservation of the environment is a considerable stake and undoubtedly represents the challenge of the 21st century,” said Laurent Wauquiez, president of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region.
“Regional players are mobilised to develop the use of clean energies as with the European Zero emission valley program for vehicles or the development of the hydrogen train. Allowing planes to refuel with less polluting sustainable biofuel will allow Clermont-Ferrand-Auvergne airport to be at the forefront of innovation and a model of progress to help decarbonise aviation.”