KLM remains committed to sustainable aviation fuel

KLM’s Company BioFuel Programme has been renamed the KLM Company SAF Programme. SAF stands for Sustainable Aviation Gas. KLM has opted for this new identify to make it clear that the gas it buys is manufactured sustainably, utilizing uncooked supplies that don’t trigger deforestation, impede meals manufacturing or hurt the surroundings in another manner. This new identify can even mark the beginning of an initiative to deliver this system to the eye of companies exterior the Netherlands.

“Sustainable Aviation Gas shouldn’t be essentially the identical as biofuel. The truth that one thing is created from natural uncooked supplies, doesn’t essentially indicate that it’s sustainable. This led to some confusion,” explains Karel Bockstael, vice chairman of Sustainability at KLM. “For KLM, the time period SAF higher describes the choice we use as an alternative of fossil gas. The gas we use is actually sustainable and doesn’t result in deforestation or exchange meals manufacturing. SAF additionally contains different fuels which can be, for example, manufactured from CO₂, renewable power and water, higher generally known as ‘artificial kerosene’. This subject is present process sturdy improvement, which is why it’s logical that we’ve determined to rename our company programme.”

Sixteen members
The KLM Company SAF Programme was launched in 2012 and now contains sixteen companions, together with ABN AMRO, Royal Schiphol Group and Arcadis. These companies and establishments assist KLM finance the acquisition of SAF, thereby decreasing the CO₂ footprint of their enterprise journey by air. SAF can scale back CO₂ emissions by 85 % in comparison with fossil kerosene, however as a result of it’s briefly provide and costly to provide, it’s thrice dearer. The SAF bought by KLM is combined with fossil gas and pumped into the refuelling techniques at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and in Los Angeles. The SAF is produced and provided regionally at each places. The full quantity of SAF utilized by KLM in 2019 amounted to lower than 1 % of all gas utilized by KLM.

“That’s lower than we wish, in fact. We might want to use much more of this gas to considerably scale back CO₂ emissions,” explains Hurt Kreulen, director of KLM Benelux. “That’s the reason we are going to proceed to deliver the KLM Company SAF Programme to the eye of our prospects, particularly on this time of disaster. That is the best second for KLM to pursue its ambition to turn out to be much more sustainable. The drastic discount of our CO₂ footprint, with assistance from fleet modernization, improved operational effectivity and SAF, performs a vital half on this ambition.”