Synhelion delivers solar fuel to SWISS airline

Swiss renewable fuels company Synhelion announced that the Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) became the first the airline to integrate the company’s solar fuel into its flight operations.

Synhelion said it delivered 190-liter barrel of synthetic crude oil from its DAWN production facility to a refinery in Northern Germany, where the oil, which had been manufactured using solar energy, was processed into certified Jet-A-1 aviation fuel.

“Sustainable fuels are a key lever in reducing air transport’s reliance on fossil fuels,” adds Synhelion co-founder and co-CEO Philipp Furler. “Our delivery of this first barrel to SWISS may be a symbolic action. But it’s a concrete one, too, towards a more sustainable aviation sector.”

The fuel was then fed into SWISS’s flight operations infrastructure via the fuel supply system at Hamburg Airport.

“This first delivery of Synhelion’s solar fuel marks a genuine milestone in our long-standing partnership,” confirms SWISS CEO Jens Fehlinger. “We have intentionally invested in a Swiss start-up; and we are delighted to celebrate this landmark achievement together. This is the first time that solar fuel has been used in civil aviation.”

Synhelion now plans to secure key certifications before a commercial market entry from 2027.

As a next step, Synhelion and SWISS are now jointly driving forward the sustainability certification of the production process and the fuel in accordance with the requirements of the EU directive.