Emirates Begins SAF Operations at London Heathrow Airport

Emirates Begins Operating with SAF at Emirates has taken delivery of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from Shell Aviation at London Heathrow Airport. Over 3,000 metric tonnes of neat SAF, blended with conventional jet fuel, will be supplied into the fuelling infrastructure network of the airport until the end of summer 2024. 

This is the first time the airline will be using SAF to power some of its flights at London Heathrow and represents the largest volume of SAF it has purchased to date. Emirates is participating in London Heathrow’s SAF Incentive Programme, which ensures its affordability and accessibility for airlines operating at the airport.

The airline will be accounting for, tracking and tracing the delivery of SAF at London Heathrow as well as its sustainability attributes through robust reporting methodologies. The SAF that Emirates has purchased from Shell Aviation will be safely dropped into existing airport fuelling infrastructure and aircraft jet engines. In its neat form, SAF can reduce lifecycle carbon emissions by up to 80% compared to using conventional jet fuel.  

Launched in 2022, London Heathrow’s SAF Incentive is the first of its kind scheme that provides a support mechanism to reduce the premium price gap between conventional jet fuel and SAF by approximately 50%. Schemes such as the one at London Heathrow aim to accelerate supportive government policies, increasing the UK’s competitiveness by unlocking investment in clean energy investments like SAF production.

Emirates’ SAF strategy focuses on exploring opportunities to use SAF operationally wherever it is available in the airline’s network, share emissions costs with corporate customers or freight forwarders where feasible, cooperate on longer-term SAF projects with reputable partners and support SAF ventures in the UAE with the potential to supply Sustainable Aviation Fuel at its hub.

Emirates currently operates flights from Amsterdam, Paris, Lyon and Oslo with SAF. Last year, the airline collaborated with Shell Aviation to supply SAF into Dubai Airport fuelling systems for the first time ever, allocating the SAF to a number of flights. In May of this year, the airline plans to work with local partners at Singapore Changi Airport for the supply of SAF through the airport’s fuelling systems. 

Earlier this year, Emirates became the first international carrier to join the Solent Cluster in the UK, an initiative focused on low carbon investments with the potential to create a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) plant that can produce up to 200,000 tonnes (200 kt) per year if operational by 2032.

The Solent Cluster is a cross-sector collaboration of international organisations, including manufacturers and engineering companies, regional businesses and industries, leading logistics and infrastructure operators and academic institutions.

Emirates has been operating to the UK since 1987 and currently serves 7 gateways with 131 weekly flights including 6 times daily A380 to London Heathrow (and an additional 5 times weekly with the Boeing 777 aircraft until 26 October 2024), 3 times daily A380 service to Gatwick, 2 daily service to Stansted, 3 times daily A380 service to Manchester; twice daily service to Birmingham (including a daily A380 service); daily service to Newcastle; and a daily A380 service to Glasgow.