Sahara Group joins Air France-KLM SAF programme

UAE-based energy and infrastructure conglomerate Sahara Group has partnered with Air France-KLM to invest in airline’s sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) programme.

Sahara Group used the Air France-KLM service to offset 20 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

This investment, facilitated by Sahara Energy International, has earned Sahara an official partner certification in the Air France-KLM corporate SAF programme.

“Our partnership with Air France-KLM is a testament to how we are making a difference by flying sustainably. Investing in SAF is not just a move towards reducing our carbon footprint but also an investment in the future of aviation. We are excited about the positive impact this will have on the environment and the aviation industry,” said Kola Motajo, director, Sahara Group.

Globally, the aviation industry is responsible for approximately 2.5% of total CO2 emissions. The adoption of SAF is a critical step towards achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. With increased investment, it is estimated that 500m metric tons of SAF could be produced annually from advanced and waste feedstock by 2030.

“This is a significant step forward from Sahara Group. As a key and trusted partner for Air France-KLM, they are a pioneer in the decarbonization of aviation. Today, SAF is the most realistic and concrete solution for reducing aviation CO2 emissions. This investment underscores the importance of supporting innovation and new technologies to make travel greener. With partners like Sahara Group, Air France-KLM can continue to invest in research, development, and production while securing our SAF supply for the years to come,” said Yanis Yazbek, account manager, Air France-KLM.

Ejiro Gray, director of governance and sustainability at Sahara Group, highlighted that this initiative aligns with the company’s goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2060.

Air France-KLM Group is one of the leading SAF users in the world. The airline announced that it incorporated 80,000 metric tons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in flight operations to reduce overall carbon emissions during 2023, double from the 2022 levels. This represented a 1% incorporation rate (compared to 0.6% in 2022) of SAF in total fuel usage. Air France-KLM claimed that it is likely to be world’s largest SAF user in 2023, accounting for around 16% of world’s SAF production.