Finnair buys 750 tonnes of Sustainable Aviation Fuel

A Finnair Airbus A330 on the runway.
Jakkrit Prasertwit GFDL 1.2 via Wikimedia Commons
Jamie Stokes 4 Min Read
4 Min Read

Finland’s largest airline, Finnair, has made the largest single purchase of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The purchase of 750 tonnes of SAF from world leading producer, Neste will support the airline towards its goal to become a more efficient carrier. 

Neste will deliver the fuel to Helsinki Airport during the early months of 2023. The purchase is enough to fuel approximately 400 flights between Helsinki and Stockholm in a 100% unblended composition.

Huurre: Essential for a sustainable future


Outlining the importance the airline puts on achieving a greener status, Senior Vice President for Sustainability, Eveliina Huurre said: “Finnair celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, and reducing emissions from flying is an essential part of a sustainable future.”

“Sustainable aviation fuel will be one of the most important tools for reducing emissions in the coming years. We also involve our customers in this, and a small part of every flight ticket sold goes to the cost of sustainable aviation fuel”

Sustainably sourced and produced from feedstocks such as cooking oils and animal fat wastes, Neste’s MY SAF can work both unblended as a standalone fuel, and as a drop in solution. A drop in solution describes a mixture of SAF blended with conventional jet fuel.

Many airlines currently operate SAF as a blended mixture, partly due to the exorbitant cost they would incur if they were to operate 100% SAF flights. Sustainable aviation fuel can cost up to 50% more than standard fossil jet fuel. 

Although SAF is more expensive to buy, Neste MY Business Sustainable Aviation Fuel is described as a “scalable solution that helps companies meet their climate targets.” Today Neste produces 100,000 tonnes of SAF a year, but has an aggressive target to take these production rates up to 1.5 million tonnes a year by the end of 2023. 

“Reducing emissions from flying requires an extensive toolkit and everyone’s effort. While we are increasing the use of SAF, we will also continue to take all other steps, from reducing the weight of aircraft to optimizing flight routes and increasing fuel efficiency,” Hurree continued.

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Finnair is playing its part


The aviation industry contributes approximately 2-3% of total global carbon dioxide emissions at present rates.

The travel industry is set to at least double over the next 15 years, meaning that airlines around the world must take the net zero target by 2050 seriously if they are to protect the Earth from dangerous greenhouse gases. 

The Finnish national flag carrier has an ambitious target to become carbon neutral by 2045, and the fact that this SAF reduces the emission of greenhouse gases by 80% compared to conventional fossil jet fuel, means that it will be a key factor in achieving this status over the next two decades. 

“Finnair was one of the first airlines using our Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel. We have been working together for a long time and look forward to supporting Finnair to meet its sustainability targets,”said Jonathan Wood, Vice President Commercial and Technical Management, Renewable Aviation at Neste

“It is great to see Finnair taking the initiative to voluntarily purchase our SAF as part of their sustainability commitments, and creating awareness among their customers on how to play a role in creating a more sustainable future,” Wood concluded.

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