ECS Group and TUI pioneer SAF initiative to mitigate air cargo’s environmental impact.
Starting from August 2022, ECS Group and TUI established the pioneering SAF partnership within the airline GSSA sector, where ECS finances a 1% SAF blend for all TUI flights, while freight forwarders can choose to participate by contributing a 10% SAF blend through a SAF surcharge categorized under ‘Other Charge Due Carrier.’
Adrien Thominet, Executive Chairman of ECS Group, said, “Air cargo accounts for around 0.4% of global CO2 emissions – equivalent to the emissions of the entire country of Germany. This figure is expected to increase as the air cargo industry continues to grow, that is why, at ECS Group, we are contributing to a 1% SAF blend on all TUI flights in this first ever SAF partnership between a GSSA and an airline – and it will not be the last.”
ECS Group, a global leader in the General Sales and Services Agent (GSSA) industry for airlines, operates in over 50 countries. It runs through 173 offices worldwide, ensuring comprehensive service coverage for its airline partners. Moreover, with a dedicated team of over 1,400 employees, ECS Group meticulously provides tailored, high-quality services to hundreds of airline partners. In 2021, ECS Group facilitated the transportation of over 1,200,000 tons of cargo for airlines, thereby significantly boosting their international growth in the air cargo sector. This achievement underscores ECS Group’s pivotal role in global logistics. Moreover, ECS Group, distinguished with multiple industry awards, is widely acknowledged as the preferred GSSA partner in cargo logistics. Thus, this reinforces its position as a leader in global logistics solutions.
“ECS Group has identified short, medium, and long-term priorities to drive Sustainability forward within our business and ultimately the industry. Environmental impact is one of our top priorities, and we are defining a consistent action plan to reduce our carbon emissions and bring our commitments in line with the UN Paris climate agreement. We see in this first SAF partnership with TUI a clear and major opportunity to positively impact our scope 3 emissions, we monitor and evaluate our performance to ensure maximum progress.” added Adrien Thominet, Executive Chairman of ECS Group
The TUI Group, a prominent global tourism conglomerate, maintains a significant international presence. Headquartered in Germany, TUI lists its shares on the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. In addition, it lists its shares on the Lower Saxony Stock Exchange in Hanover. Furthermore, the FTSE 250 index on the London Stock Exchange includes it. TUI Group serves 19 million customers globally, offering integrated services across the entire tourism value chain from a unified platform.
Leen Vander Kuylen, Director of Supplier Management & Procurement, TUI Airline, said, “Sustainability is a top priority for TUI. Reducing CO2 emissions across our hotels, airlines and cruise divisions significantly is a key commitment of TUI Group’s Sustainability Agenda. We have set emission reduction targets for 2030 that have been approved by the independent Science Based Targets initiative. This partnership between TUI and ECS supports the sustainability transformation journey we are on. By joining forces, we can make a difference.”
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Additionally, participation in the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) support scheme is available across the entire network.
Q. – Why is ECS Group investing in SAF initiatives?
A. – To reduce air cargo’s environmental impact.
Q. – What are TUI Group’s sustainability goals?
A. – Significant CO2 reduction by 2030.
