Singapore Airlines, Scoot fly first flights using blended sustainable fuel

This is part of the Singapore pilot on SAF use.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Scoot have operated departing flights at the Changi Airport using blended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for the first time.

This came following the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), SIA, and GenZero, a Temasek-owned investment platform for decarbonisation, entered the next phase of the Singapore pilot on the use of SAF as they delivered the fuel to the Changi Airport through its fuel hydrant system on Thursday.

In a joint statement, the companies said that under the pilot 1,000 tonnes of neat SAF will be supplied by Neste and blended with refined jet fuel at ExxonMobil’s facilities in the Lion City.

This is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 2,500 tonnes.

“The first successful uplift of blended SAF is an important milestone in Singapore’s journey towards sustainable aviation. It shows that the Singapore Changi Airport is SAF-ready,” said CAAS Director-General Han Kok Juan.

“It also provides useful operational learning points on the adoption of SAF which the CAAS is studying as part of our work on a Sustainable Air Hub Blueprint,” he added.

For her part, Len Wen Fen, senior vice president for corporate planning at SIA, said sustainable aviation fuels are a “key decarbonisation lever,” noting that the pilot shows their commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The Singapore pilot is a follow-up to the study conducted by the Singapore Government and industry players regarding the operational and commercial viability of using SAF at the Changi Airport.

CAAS, SIA, and Temasek have also announced the sale of 1,000 SAF credits for 1 July as part of the pilot, providing customers–including corporate and individual travellers, and freight forwarders–an avenue to reduce their carbon footprint and boost the demand for SAF.

They added that from the fourth quarter of 2022, SIA customers may buy a mix of SAF credits and carbon offsets, as part of the SIA Group Voluntary Carbon Offset Programme. The Airline will also tie up with Climate Impact X, a global exchange for quality carbon credits, to introduce a portfolio which includes SAF and carbon credits.

GenZero CEO Frederick Teo said they are also partnering with Climate Impact X to pilot new products for SAF credits.

“Such credits present an important way to crowd in financing from environmentally conscious corporates and institutions to reduce the cost premium and encourage greater adoption of SAF to decarbonise global aviation. We look forward to the SAF credits arising from this project being available by the end of the year,” he said.