Air Greenland route between Kangerlussuaq and Copenhagen to be fueled by low-level SAF blend

In the future, as much as 5 percent of fuel consumption on the Air Greenland route between Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, and Copenhagen, Denmark, will be biobased sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as a result of an agreement between Air Greenland and DCC & Shell Aviation Denmark.

“Since 2019, Air Greenland’s board of directors has been working strategically to modernize the fleet with more sustainable aircraft and helicopters,” said Bodil Marie Damgaard, Air Greenland’s board chair. “We want to support the goal of Greenland becoming a sustainable destination by reducing fuel consumption and thus our CO2 emissions. The desire to contribute to the green transition in aviation is deeply rooted in Air Greenland’s culture, and sustainability has therefore been a weighty element in connection with the replacement of our Atlantic aircraft with an A330neo.”

Jacob Nitter Sørensen, CEO of Air Greenland, added, “With our new transatlantic aircraft, we will reduce fuel consumption and at the same time commit to using 5 percent SAF on all Tuukkaq flights. This will reduce our CO2 emissions even more. I am proud that with this agreement, Air Greenland can be among the leading airlines in the green transition in Europe.”

The agreement means that the route to and from Copenhagen will fly on SAF fuel to an extent that has not been seen before either in Denmark or Europe.

On an annual basis, 5 percent of the consumption on the flights will be covered by SAF.

“Air Greenland is thus taking a big leap on its own initiative into a future where aviation will have to comply with rules for the use of SAF within a few years,” said Ulrik V. Brendstrup, managing director of DCC & Shell Aviation Denmark. “In light of the fact that the EU has a 2025 ambition that airlines in Europe must fly on at least 2 percent SAF, it is a really big step we are now taking together with Air Greenland. In reality, this is a remarkable initiative—also in an international perspective. It is by far the largest SAF supply agreement we have ever signed.”

With the agreement between Air Greenland and DCC & Shell Aviation Denmark, SAF will now for the first time be supplied to Denmark’s largest airport. Here, the supply of SAF to Air Greenland will be part of the overall infrastructure.

In this way, the agreement also opens a new chapter for Copenhagen Airport, explained Thomas Woldbye, CEO of Copenhagen Airports A/S.

“There is no doubt that the use of more sustainable aviation fuels is crucial to accelerate the green transition in aviation, and at Copenhagen Airport, we are actively working to promote the development and use of these fuels,” Woldbye said. “Therefore, we are very pleased that DCC & Shell Aviation are now introducing SAF at Copenhagen Airport. While we are waiting for the right framework conditions to ensure that the development and scaling of the new [Power-to-X] fuels really takes off, the biobased fuels are a good place to start, and I hope that Air Greenland’s exemplary initiative will inspire other companies operating at the airport. To me, it is also a sign that the industry itself is ready to take the lead in the transition.”

DCC & Shell Aviation Denmark already supply fuel to Danish airports, and according to Sune Petersen, head of sustainability and strategy, there is a growing interest in SAF.

“Aviation has a high profile in the energy transition,” Petersen said. “Right now, SAF produced from biowaste is playing an important role in the shift away from fossil aviation fuel. And like other aviation stakeholders, we see SAF made from biowaste as a good transition fuel on the road to a future where we fly on [Power-to-X]-produced SAF.”