Air France-KLM signs new deal with Total further increasing SAF offtake

Total Energies announced Sept. 23 that it and Air France-KLM have signed an agreement for Total Energies to supply up to 1.5 million tons more sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to Air France-KLM Group airlines over a 10-year period, until 2035.

This agreement marks one the largest SAF purchase contracts signed by Air France-KLM to date.

In 2022 and 2023, Air France-KLM was the world’s leading SAF user, representing 17 percent and 16 percent of total global production, respectively.

This contract builds on a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in 2022 for the supply of 800,000 tons of SAF.

By reevaluating this agreement Sept. 23, the two groups are reaffirming their objective to curb the environmental impact of the air-transport sector as quickly as possible by reducing CO2 emissions.

By 2030, Air France-KLM aims to reduce its CO2 emissions per passenger/km by 30 percent compared with 2019 levels.

The group aims to achieve this goal through a combination of fleet renewal, operational measures such as eco-piloting, and the incorporation of at least 10 percent more SAF on all its flights.

These ambitious targets go beyond regulatory obligations.

The SAF supplied to Air France-KLM will be made from waste and residues from the circular economy and will be produced in Total Energies’ French and European biorefineries and refineries by coprocessing.

This SAF will be used to fuel flights operated by Air France-KLM’s airlines on departure from France, the Netherlands and other European countries.

The development of SAF is at the heart of Total Energies’ transition strategy to meet demand from the aviation sector.

Air France-KLM has implemented a strict sourcing policy, purchasing only second-generation SAF that does not compete with global food production, and that is certified for its sustainability by the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials or the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification System GmbH.

SAF allows for a reduction in CO2 emissions of at least 75 percent and up to 90 percent over the entire fuel lifecycle compared with fossil-fuel equivalents.

“SAF contributes both to the energy transition of our customers in the aviation sector and to the industrial transition of our refineries,” said Patrick Pouyanné, chairman and CEO of Total Energies. “It therefore represents a real win-win for the future of industry and aviation. For the past 10 years, we have been pioneers in the field, investing in biorefineries and SAF production facilities in France as well as developing coprocessing technologies in our refineries. Building on these industrial successes, we intend to continue this momentum in Europe and worldwide.”

Benjamin Smith, the CEO of Air France-KLM Group, added, “Securing the volumes of more sustainable aviation fuel needed to decarbonize our activity is a major challenge. This agreement with Total Energies is a further step in this direction and a testament to our longstanding support for the development of SAF production in France and Europe. A solid SAF sector capable of meeting our industry’s needs is a key factor in Europe’s sovereignty and energy independence.”

For the past 10 years, Total Energies and the Air France-KLM Group have been working together to test and incorporate SAF.

This partnership began in 2014 with a two-year experiment during which 78 Air France flights between Paris-Orly and Toulouse, and between Paris-Orly and Nice, were fueled with 10 percent SAF supplied by Total Energies.

In January 2020, Total Energies and Air France took part alongside Safran and Suez in the call for expressions of interest launched by the French government to encourage the emergence of a French SAF production industry.

Since 2022, Total Energies has been supplying SAF to Air France-KLM Group airlines in France as part of the French incorporation mandate.

Total Energies is investing heavily in projects to produce more SAF in France and Europe:

In Grandpuits, Total Energies is transforming the site into a zero-oil platform with an investment of 400 million euros (USD$445.5 million).

Mainly focused on the production of SAF from the circular economy, Grandpuits will be able to produce 210,000 tons of sustainable aviation fuel by 2025 and an additional 75,000 tons by 2027.

In Normandy, Total Energies has started producing SAF at its Gonfreville refinery.

The company plans to increase production to 160,000 tons of SAF per year by 2025.

At La Mède, Total Energies has invested 340 million euros (USD$378.7 million) to transform its refinery into a biorefinery.

In 2024, Total Energies has invested an additional 70 million euros (USD$78 million) to process up to 100 percent waste from the circular economy and produce SAF by 2025.

Since 2021, biofuel produced at La Mède has been used to produce SAF at Total Energies’ Oudalle plant near Le Havre.

Total Energies is also studying the production of SAF through coprocessing in its other European refineries by 2025.