Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Jet2.com has announced today that it will incorporate sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at London Stansted Airport in 2024. This move makes the prominent leisure airline one of the first to utilize SAF for departing flights from two UK airports in 2024, nearly a year before the UK Government’s SAF mandate, set to commence in 2025.
The airline, ranked as the UK’s third largest, has secured around 650 tonnes of SAF from Shell Aviation. This volume will enable Jet2.com to introduce a 1% SAF blend on several departing flights from London Stansted Airport this year. SAF, when used in its pure form, can reduce lifecycle carbon emissions by up to 80% compared to traditional jet fuel.
This recent announcement follows Jet2.com’s disclosure last month regarding its plans to implement a SAF blend at Bristol Airport in 2024. With these initiatives at both airports, Jet2.com has procured roughly 1,000 tonnes of SAF.
By integrating a SAF blend in 2024, Jet2.com is positioning itself ahead of the UK’s SAF mandate, effective from January 1st, 2025. This mandate mandates that fuel suppliers ensure at least 10% of jet fuel is derived from SAF by 2030.
SAF is recognised as one of the best methods to decarbonise aviation in the short to medium term, including recently by the Transport Select Committee which stated: “Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) are the most viable option for the immediate reduction of aviation emissions.”
Jet2 plc has invested in a new Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production plant, slated for construction in the North West of England. This marks one of the initial such agreements in UK aviation. The plant, known as the Fulcrum NorthPoint facility, is being developed by Fulcrum BioEnergy Ltd. It will function as a Waste-to-Fuels plant and is expected to supply Jet2.com with over 200 million litres of SAF once it becomes operational. Furthermore, the plant is anticipated to create around 1,500 jobs, contributing positively to both the national and local economies.
This investment in SAF aligns with Jet2.com and Jet2holidays’ aim to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, in accordance with Government objectives, although the company is working to expedite this timeline. A sustainability strategy has been published by the company, detailing its goals and strategies, with an updated version scheduled for release this year.
The strategy includes commitments such as the procurement of 110 Airbus A320/A321 neo aircraft with firm orders, a number that could potentially increase to 146 aircraft. This move aims to enhance travel efficiency by reducing emissions per passenger. Jet2.com has already received seven of these new aircraft. Additionally, Jet2holidays has introduced a new scheme for labeling hotels based on sustainability. This enables customers and independent travel agents to easily identify and choose from a selection of certified sustainable hotels meeting Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Recognized standards. Currently, the collection comprises over 900 hotels accessible at www.jet2holidays.com/sustainable-hotels.
Despite these investments in SAF, the UK’s dependence on costly imported fuel or the necessity for airlines to pay a buy-out price persists in the absence of a fully established domestic SAF industry. This situation puts UK airlines and travelers at a competitive disadvantage.
Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays said: “Today’s announcement further demonstrates the tangible actions that we are taking to mitigate our climate impacts, and it means will be using a SAF blend from London Stansted in 2024, in addition to Bristol Airport. We see SAF as critical in helping the industry decarbonise and as well as doing this, we can use this 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 added: “Today’s announcement, in addition to our investment into a new SAF plant in the North West of England, shows how committed we are to SAF and how much we believe in unlocking its huge potential. Unfortunately, there is still some way to go and without more supplies of UK SAF and greater support to incentivise its uptake and reduce its cost, our industry and UK holidaymakers are at a disadvantage. The UK Government must implement the 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.”
“It is fantastic to support Jet2.com on its journey to reduce emissions through the use of SAF,” added Ashleigh McDougall, General Manager Europe and Africa, Shell Aviation. “SAF is a key lever for decarbonising aviation, but scaling its supply and use requires concerted effort from across the aviation sector. Today’s announcement is a great example of the collaborative actions that are required to drive forward the use of SAF and help decarbonise flight.”
Neil Robinson, MAG CSR and Future Airspace Director: “Today’s announcement by Jet2.com is really excellent news given the vital role SAF will play in taking carbon out of the aviation industry. Our focus at London Stansted is to continue driving forward on our commitment to reach net zero carbon operations by 2038, and supporting the development of more sustainable aviation fuel to help aviation reach net zero by 2050. Jet2.com’s introduction of SAF at Stansted is another positive development in driving down carbon emissions and we look forward to working with them to build on this great start.”
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