Leisure airline Jet2 to use SAF at Stansted and Bristol as it prepares for UK mandate

UK leisure airline Jet2.com has purchased around 650 tonnes of SAF from Shell Aviation, which will be used to add a 1% SAF blend onto a number of departing flights from London Stansted this year, with a further 350 tonnes purchased from Q8 Aviation for use at Bristol Airport. The airline, the UK’s third biggest, has made an equity investment in the Fulcrum NorthPoint SAF production facility due to be constructed in north-west England. However, said the company, without a fully-fledged domestic SAF industry, the UK remained reliant on fuel imported at a high cost or airlines would otherwise in future under the mandate be required to pay a buy-out price, “putting UK airlines and holidaymakers at a competitive disadvantage.”

Ashleigh McDougall, Shell Aviation’s General Manager for Europe and Africa, said scaling the supply and use of SAF required a concerted effort from across the aviation sector. “The announcement with Jet2.com is a great example of the collaborative actions that are required to drive forward the use of SAF and help decarbonise flight,” she said.

Commented Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays: “We see SAF as critical in helping the industry decarbonise and we can use this supply to ensure our operations are ready for SAF uptake both now and in the future, when we anticipate its use will grow materially. We very much see 1% as the starting point and we want to grow this over the coming years.”

He called for greater support to incentivise the uptake of SAF in the UK and reduce its cost. “The UK government must implement a price revenue mechanism earlier than the current timeline of 2026, which means we can secure investor confidence, build the UK SAF plants that we need, and turbocharge the UK SAF industry,” he said.

Under the airline’s investment in Fulcrum NorthPoint, it expects to receive over 200 million litres of SAF over a 15-year period from the proposed NorthPoint waste-to-fuels facility when it becomes operational, which will achieve net emissions reductions totalling around 400,000 tonnes of CO2.

In line with government policy, Jet2 has a target of net zero emissions by 2050 but aspires to bring this date forward. As part of its sustainability strategy, it has 110 Airbus A320/A321 neo aircraft on firm order, which could extend up to 146 aircraft. Its holiday arm has recently launched a hotel sustainability labelling scheme so that customers and travel agents can easily find and choose from a collection of certified sustainable hotels that meet Global Sustainable Tourism Council recognised standards.

Photo: Jet2 plc