Airbus signs SAF purchase agreement with TotalEnergies

Airbus announced that it has signed a strategic partnership with TotalEnergies to purchase sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for half of the aircraft manufacturer’s needs in Europe.

“Accelerating the deployment of SAFs is essential if we are to meet our targets for reducing carbon emissions from aviation by 2030. This partnership between Airbus and TotalEnergies demonstrates the willingness of aerospace manufacturers and major energy producers and suppliers to work together to meet this challenge. We are determined to meet our decarbonisation targets and ensure that aviation can continue to play its valuable role for society in the future,” said Guillaume Faury, CEO, Airbus.

The partnership will also develop a research and innovation programme aimed at producing 100% sustainable fuels tailored to the design of current and future aircraft. The impact of the composition of SAF on the reduction of CO2 emissions and non-CO2 effects, such as contrails, will also be studied.

“The development of SAFs is at the heart of our company’s transition strategy. We are happy to form a strategic alliance with Airbus to play our part in meeting the challenge of aviation decarbonisation together. TotalEnergies has been working hard to respond to the sector’s new demand for a reduced carbon footprint. Our company has set itself a target of 1.5m tons of annual SAF production by 2030,” Patrick Pouyanné, chairman and CEO, TotalEnergies.

TotalEnergies has been already been supplying SAF to Airbus for its aircraft deliveries in Toulouse since 2016.

Moreover, TotalEnergies also supplied the fuel for several first SAF flights with Airbus aircraft in May 2021, the first long-haul flight using French-produced SAF with an A350 between Paris and Montreal.

In addition, in November 2021, the first flight of a H225 helicopter, from the “Super Puma” family, also flew using 100% SAF supplied by TotalEnergies.