Avelia SAF book-and-claim platform evolves to a multi-supplier model

The Avelia book-and-claim (B&C) digital platform developed by Shell Aviation, Accenture and American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) is changing from Shell being the sole sustainable aviation fuel supplier to a multi-supplier model. Customers, including airlines, corporations and freight forwarders, will be able to manage SAF from different suppliers within Avelia, simplifying their SAF overview, say the partners. Launched in 2022 with the aim of scaling SAF and enabling greater participation in the sector’s decarbonisation efforts, Avelia helps companies to access the GHG benefits of SAF without being constrained by its physical availability at specific locations. As of the end of March, 57 corporations and airlines had joined Avelia and over 900 retirements had been executed.

This, reports the partners, contributed to the injection of over 33 million gallons of SAF into the existing global fuel network at 17 airports in Europe, Asia and North America, resulting in over 300,000 tonnes of CO2e abated, the equivalent, they say, of 530,000 passengers flying from London to New York.

Avelia is now looking to introduce a ‘Bring Your Own SAF’ (BYOS) model that enables airlines to manage more of their SAF portfolio on the platform, including SAF originally purchased outside of the Shell supply network as well as SAF that otherwise would have been tracked offline and not on a digital registry. This feature aims to support the use of B&C solutions for tracking SAF, which the partners say will help build credibility for B&C at an industry level and accelerate SAF adoption.

Avelia is also in the process of setting up a multilateral governance structure to enable multi-party involvement and more transparency information around the platform’s operating procedures.

Commenting on the changes, Raman Ojha, President of Shell Aviation, said: “Avelia’s evolution from a single-supplier platform to a multi-supplier industry solution is a powerful demonstration of how collaboration, technology and innovation can accelerate the scaling of SAF.”

Avelia’s data is now hosted and handled independently by Accenture, which it says provides a transparent, secure, reliable and externally verified platform for accessing and allocating the information for the applicable SAF offering.

“As Avelia’s strategic advisor and technology partner, we continue to shape its evolution while overseeing data processing and hosting for Shell,” said Dr Jesko-Philipp Neuenburg, Global Travel and Aviation Sustainability Lead at Accenture. “This safeguards data compartmentalisation and transparency, giving customers clear control. It also builds the secure, scalable foundation needed for a flexible industry platform.”

Among the airlines and corporations who have signed on to Avelia include Alaska Airlines, Amex GBT, Aon, Bank of America, Cathay Pacific Airways, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, Google, Kintetsu World Express, JetBlue Airways, Rolls-Royce, British Cycling and Yokogawa.

“For the majority of companies, Scope 3 emissions represent the largest share of their total carbon footprint and reducing them can be challenging. As a software and services company for travel, expense and meetings and events, we are committed to leading with our customers on decarbonisation,” said Evan Konwiser, Chief Product and Strategy Officer at Amex GBT.

“As a partner in Avelia, we continue to grow and evolve the world’s first and now most established book-and-claim platform for SAF. Together we can accelerate its scale and increase customer access to its environmental benefits.”

Image: Shell Aviation

Christopher Surgenor

Editor

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