LONDON – Earlier this week saw Ryanair & Shell sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance SAF supply at over 200 Ryanair airports across Europe.
This MoU will give Ryanair access to 360,000 tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel between 2025 and 2030.
This is understood to save over 900,000 tonnes in CO2 emissions, equivalent to 70,000 trips from Dublin to Milan.
Executive Comments…
Commenting on this deal was Thomas Fowler, Ryanair’s Sustainability Director:
“SAF plays a key role in our Pathway to Net Zero strategy and also our commitment to a target of 12.5% SAF by 2030.”
“Today’s agreement with Shell helps Ryanair secure access to c.20% of this ambitious goal.”
“Shell is a key sustainability partner for Ryanair, and we look forward to building on this collaboration with Shell as our Group grows sustainably to carry 225m passengers annually by FY26.”
Also commenting on the news was Jan Toschka, the President of Shell Aviation:
“It is fantastic to build on our existing relationship with Ryanair to now look at what we can achieve together on sustainability.”
“This initial agreement demonstrates that both companies recognize that SAF is the key to unlocking a net zero future for aviation.”
“We share the same ambition to enable Ryanair’s passengers to fly lower carbon.”
“Leadership and bold actions are needed to accelerate the decarbonization of flight, and today’s announcement is a great example of this.”
SAF Continues To Be Prevalent In The Sector…
It’s becoming clearer that Sustainable Aviation Fuels are going to become a more prevalent aspect of the sector going into the future.
A study conducted by TMR now shows the Sustainable Aviation Fuel market is estimated to reach US$402 billion, an annual growth rate of 26.2% during the forecasted period between 2022 and 2050.
In the past decade, the world has witnessed a steady increase in the need for a reduction in emissions and gasses globally. Adding to this is also the world’s increased awareness of climate change and its impact on the world.
In an effort to help reduce the emissions, Sustainable Aviation Fuel has been a great substitute and has seen an increased adaption, as it emits 75% less of the harmful gasses normal jet fuel would.
In the studies from TMR (Transparency Market Research), the key findings in their studies are:
Increasing demand for Biofuels is stimulating growth in the Sustainable Aviation Fuel market: The biofuel type segment held the major share of the global market in 2021 and is anticipated to remain the dominant segment during the forecast period.
Biofuels are produced from biomass and products such as charcoal, fuelwood, and animal dung, which serve as raw materials in biofuel production. Furthermore, biofuels may also be obtained from crops, agricultural products, or fishery products.
Biofuels can offer close to the same performance as petrol-based jet fuels with reduced carbon footprint and, as a result, are witnessing more demand than other fuel types.
Overall…
It remains clear that the likes of Shell and other SAF providers are right on the money when it comes to reducing CO2 emissions by 2050.
For Ryanair, this gives the carrier the ability to save costs, emit less, and thus become more profitable and eco-friendly.
This MoU is quite a substantial one, and it’s safe to say we will continue to see more of that as we head into the future.
