Image: © pavel1964/Stock.adobe.com
The deal concerns e-SAF, a power-to-liquid energy source which aims to lower emissions in the aviation industry.
International Airlines Group (IAG), which owns five airlines including Aer Lingus and British Airways, yesterday (25 November) announced a 10-year purchase agreement with Infinium for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
Infinium, which plans to supply the UK market with power-to-liquid e-SAF from late 2026, will supply any of IAG’s five airlines as part of the deal, with the fuel being produced at Infinium’s Project Roadrunner facility in Texas, US.
IAG is one of the world’s largest airline groups, also owning Level, Iberia and Vueling, with 582 aircraft and carries more than 115m passengers each year. It said its airlines used around 12pc of the world’s supply of SAF last year.
E-SAF is an energy source which converts water, waste carbon dioxide and renewable energy into fuel, which differs from other SAFs which use biomass such as from agricultural residues. According to IAG, it is envisioned that e-SAF will reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by around 90pc compared to typical jet fuel.
IAG will also invest in new aircraft and will implement fuel efficiency initiatives, purchasing and investing in SAF and advancing carbon removals to reduce emissions from its operations.
IAG’s group sustainability officer, Jonathan Counsell, said that the organisation is on track to deliver its 10pc SAF goal by 2030. “What the industry needs is additional policy support to attract funds to construct SAF plants and reduce aviation’s reliance on fossil fuels,” he said.
Robert Schuetzle, the CEO of Infinium, said: “Long-term, bankable commitments like these are what drive the ability to ramp up the production of e-SAF.”
Speaking to SiliconRepublic.com last year, Siobhan Dolan Clancy, the founder and director of the ZE-Aviation Alliance, said the aviation industry’s goal of reaching net zero emissions will be “hugely challenging” to achieve in a short time frame, though SAF could help significantly.
“By far the most significant tool will be SAF which is estimated could contribute around 65pc of the reduction in emissions needed by aviation to reach net-zero in 2050,” Dolan Clancy said.
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