Emirates joins aireg to ramp SAF production in Germany

Emirates announced that it has joined Aviation Initiative for Renewable Energy in Germany (aireg) to ramp up sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production in Germany.

“Our industry requires large quantities of SAF at a commercially viable cost, yet the shortage persists. Ramping up and furthering technologies for the production of SAF requires the partnership and support from multiple stakeholders and we are confident that aireg will lead in this regard,” said Tim Clark, president, Emirates.

The airline pledged its membership earlier at ILA Berlin 2024 in an official signing ceremony. Emirates said that Germany is one its most important markets, and the airline has been part of German skies, cities and communities since 1987.

“I am equally humbled and proud to welcome a leader in global aviation in our membership and on behalf of the entire aireg board I very much look forward to a fruitful partnership and cooperation. We need all hands on deck, airlines, airports, OEMs, producers, suppliers, RTOs, startups and of course politics to get us well on track towards net-zero by 2050,” said Siegfried Knecht, chairman, aireg.

Emirates currently operates flights from Amsterdam, London Heathrow, Paris, Lyon, Oslo and Singapore with SAF.

Last year, the airline collaborated with Shell Aviation to supply SAF into Dubai Airport fuelling systems for the first time ever, allocating the SAF to a number of flights.

aireg was launched in 2011 to increase availability and use of renewable energies in aviation sector in order to achieve the ambitious CO2 reduction targets of the aviation industry. The initiative’s members come from all areas of the value chain of renewable energies for aviation including plant manufacturers and operators, biorefineries, the petroleum industry, engine and aircraft manufacturers, governmental organisations, non-governmental organisations and airports to airlines.