This batch of SAF delivery is an important milestone to decarbonize and achieve net-zero emission by 2050.
British Airways, the flag carrier of the United Kingdom for over a century now and the second-largest in the UK has achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first airline in the world to use sustainable aviation fuel produced on a commercial scale. This week we have selected British Airways as our Airline of the week to appreciate their efforts at sustainable aviation. By putting sustainability at the heart of their business, British Airways has created a great place for people to work by reducing emissions and waste and contributing to the communities to build a thriving, resilient, responsible business.
British Airways @sustainability
This is a significant move as the entire aerospace industry is inching towards sustainable aviation. British Airways has signed a multi-year contract with Philips 66 Limited. Both Philips 66 and British Airways are committed to a low carbon future. This batch of SAF delivery is an important milestone to decarbonize and achieve net-zero emission by 2050. In order to prevent the worst climate damages, global net human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) need to fall by about 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching net zero around 2050.
The sustainable aviation fuel bought by BA will be enough to reduce lifecycle CO2 emissions by almost 100,000 tonnes, enough to power 700 net-zero CO2 emissions flights between London and New York on its fuel-efficient Boeing 787 aircraft.
Sean Doyle, British Airways Chairman, and Chief Executive said, “Being the first airline to source sustainable aviation fuel produced at a commercial scale in the UK is another breakthrough moment for us and the airline industry. Our supplies of SAF from Phillips 66 Limited will allow us to progress with our ambitious roadmap to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 or sooner and will play a role in our commitment, as part of International Airlines Group (IAG), to power 10% of flights with SAF by 2030.”
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) 77th Annual General Meeting approved a resolution for the global air transport industry to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. This commitment will align with the Paris Agreement goal for global warming not to exceed 1.5°C.
Sustainable future with people, planet, and responsible business
BA also published its 2021 Sustainability Report looking at the progress and milestones achieved last year and following the launch of its BA Better World program. Launching BA Better World in September 2021, British Airways made a commitment to creating a better, more sustainable future with a focus on people, the planet, and responsible business. They recently published its latest sustainability report looking back at the milestones and achievements of the last year and has also launched its new sustainability docuseries, explaining how sustainable aviation fuel is produced and how it delivers emissions benefits, with the first video being all about SAF.
Sean Doyle further added, “Progressing the development and commercial scale-up of sustainable aviation fuel will be a game-changer and crucial to reducing the aviation sector’s reliance on fossil fuels and improving the UK’s energy supply resilience. I’m confident that Britain can take a leading role on the global stage in this space, creating green jobs and export opportunities, if industry, developers, and Government continue to collaborate and make it a key focus area.”
Sustainable Goals
British Airways is committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions through a series of short, medium- and long-term initiatives. In the short-term this includes improving operational efficiency, introducing new fuel-efficient aircraft, funding carbon offset and removal projects to mitigate emissions on UK domestic flights, and progressively introducing sustainable aviation fuels using waste feedstocks, while in the medium to longer-term this includes continuing to invest in the development and scale-up of sustainable aviation fuel and looking at accelerating the growth of new technologies such as zero-emissions hydrogen-powered aircraft and carbon capture technology.
Offsetting Carbon emissions
Since January 2020 British Airways has been offsetting carbon emissions on the flights within the UK, making all British Airways domestic flights carbon neutral. They have partnered with the non-profit organization Pure Leapfrog to calculate and offset your carbon emissions if traveling outside of the UK, making the flight carbon neutral.
Customers can now also join British Airways on its journey to reach net-zero by 2050 through its onboard Speedbird Café menu app. A new category can be found on the BA Better World tab labelled ‘Contribute to Carbon Offsets’, where customers on short-haul European flights can help fund carbon reduction projects around the world. The £2.50 contribution represents the carbon compensation of an average British Airways European return flight per customer, and the funds are invested in verified CO2 emissions reduction and avoidance projects.
Philips 66 and SAF
The Phillips 66 Humber Refinery near Immingham is producing thousands of tonnes of SAF that will now help power a number of British Airways flights. SAF is produced from sustainable sources such as waste gases, crop and forestry residues, household and commercial waste, and used cooking oil, and can reduce lifecycle CO2 emissions by over 80% compared to traditional jet fuel
This SAF produced from sustainable waste feedstock at the refinery will be added by British Airways to the existing pipeline infrastructure that directly feeds several UK airports including London Heathrow.
Darren Cunningham, Lead Executive UK, and General Manager Humber Refinery said: “Phillips 66 Humber Refinery is proud to supply British Airways with sustainable aviation fuel. We were the first in the UK to co-process waste oils to produce renewable fuels and now we will be the first to produce SAF at scale. We’re currently refining almost half a million liters of sustainable waste feedstocks a day, and this is just a start. The strategic collaboration and supply agreement confirm each companies’ commitment to a lower-carbon future. The production of SAF is just one of a number of decarbonization projects we are currently progressing, and we are excited by the role that we play in supplying the UK with the fuels it needs, both now and in the future.”
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is produced from sustainable feedstocks and is similar in chemistry to traditional fossil jet fuel. Using SAF results in a reduction in carbon emissions compared to the traditional jet fuel it replaces over the lifecycle of the fuel and can drop straight into existing fuel supply infrastructure and aircraft. It has the potential to provide a lifecycle carbon reduction of more than 80% compared to the traditional jet fuel it replaces.
British Airways and UK Government’s joint efforts at sustainability
British Airways continues to work with Government on ways to provide certainty for investors to help the UK be a leader in SAF production. International Airlines Group (IAG), the airline’s parent company, is investing USD 400 million over the next 20 years into the development of SAF and British Airways has existing partnerships with several companies to develop plants and purchase sustainable fuel.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “It’s great to see British Airways is the first airline in the world that started using sustainable aviation fuel produced at scale in the UK – an important milestone towards our ambitious Jet Zero targets. The fact it’s being produced here in the UK is a perfect demonstration of how Britain continues to be a pioneer in developing green aviation technology and the Government will meet its 2050 net-zero target. We can create thousands of green jobs while reducing the impact that flying has on the environment, so we can continue to connect and travel in a greener way.”
British Airways and Philips 66 both support Government plans for a future SAF mandate and a business model for investing in advanced waste to jet fuel projects through participation in the Department for Transport’s Jet Zero Council Delivery Group.
Sustainable partnerships
British Airways have partnered with Velocys to build a plant in Humberside that will convert household and commercial waste into SAF. Their partnership with LanzaJet will provide SAF from a plant in the USA, which is expected to be available to power a number of our flights by the end of 2022.
Over the next 20 years, BA’s parent company IAG will invest USD 400 million in the development of sustainable aviation fuel and in April 2021, became the first European airline group to commit to powering 10 percent of all flights with sustainable aviation fuel by 2030.
British Airways has also invested in ZeroAvia, a leading innovator in decarbonizing commercial aviation. It is aiming to accelerate the development of 50+ seater aircraft capable of running on zero-emissions hydrogen-electric power. In September 2020, ZeroAvia completed the world’s first hydrogen-electric fuel cell-powered flight of a commercial-grade aircraft.
Post-pandemic flight
British Airways powered their first Transatlantic flight following the lifting of restrictions with a 35 percent blend of sustainable aviation fuel. The British Airways A350 flight took off after two years on November 2021 with SAF provided by bp and made from used cooking oil. It is believed to be the first commercial transatlantic flight ever to be operated with such a significant level of the fuel blended with traditional jet fuel.
Their newest and most fuel-efficient long-haul A350 aircraft are up to 40 percent more efficient than the Boeing 747-400 Jumbo Jet aircraft that used to operate between London and New York. Combining this modern aircraft efficiency with today’s blend of SAF means the flight’s overall CO2 emissions are more than 50 percent less than those emitted by the now-retired 747 aircraft that previously operated on this route.
In September, British Airways announced a collaboration with bp to source sustainable aviation fuel in respect of all flights between London, Glasgow, and Edinburgh during the UK COP26 conference
About
British Airways flies to destinations in more than 65 countries. Its principal place of business is in London, with its main home at Heathrow Terminal 5. British Airways is a founding member of the airline alliance Oneworld, which serves around 1,000 destinations across the globe. They operate one of the largest and the most modern fleets of any airline in the world
In 2021, the airline won six Business Traveller Awards including Best Short-Haul Carrier, Best Airport Lounge, Best Frequent Flyer Programme, Best Travel App, and Best New Seat.
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British Airways have signed Emma Raducanu as the newest British Airways Global Ambassador. In September 2021, at age 18, Emma became the first British woman to win the US Open women’s singles since 1977, catapulting Emma to currently be ranked British number 1 and world number 19. British Airways will continue to support her by flying her around the world for training and tournaments.
