Turkish Airlines partners with refiner Tüpraş on SAF

Turkish flag carrier Turkish Airlines announced that it has signed a letter of intent with Turkish refinery Tüpraş to explore production and supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

The agreement was signed by Turkish Airlines chief executive officer Bilal Ekşi and his Tüpraş counterpart İbrahim Yelmenoğlu.

“This agreement strengthens our collaboration in developing domestic SAF solutions and supports our long-term transformation toward low-carbon flights,” said the two companies in a joint agreement.

Earlier in 2024, Tupraş, while sharing progress on the SAF facility, said that detailed engineering studies are ongoing and are expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

The final investment decision for the project will be made after the completion of the engineering studies. Tupraş is also working with Tiryaki Agro and Tupraş Trading to secure a reliable supply of raw materials for SAF production. These raw materials will consist of second-generation plant and animal waste.

According to the signed agreements, Tupraş Trading will begin trading waste raw materials on January 1, 2025. Tiryaki Agro and/or its subsidiaries will then supply at least 450,000 tons of Tupraş’s estimated annual vegetable and animal waste raw material needs (300,000 tons) for a period of 10 years starting from January 1, 2029.