Australia’s largest import of SAF lands in Sydney

Qantas, Sydney Airport and Ampol, supported by Qantas’ SAF Coalition partners, marked the largest-ever commercial importation of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) into Australia, with nearly 2 million liters (528,344 gallons) of unblended SAF arriving during the week.

SAF has the greatest near-term potential to help decarbonize the aviation industry.

The fuel was imported by Ampol from Malaysia to its Kurnell facility May 7 and is currently being blended with conventional aviation fuel before testing and certification so that it can be distributed into the Sydney Airport supply chain.

It will then be used on flights departing from Sydney Airport over the coming weeks.

Once blended at a ratio of approximately 18 percent, the fuel could power the equivalent of 900 flights from Sydney to Auckland on Qantas and Jetstar’s 737 aircraft, reducing the resulting carbon emissions from those flights by a total estimated 3,400 metric tons.

This is roughly equivalent to the annual emissions generated by 800 cars.

This import demonstrates the capability of Ampol and Sydney Airport’s existing infrastructure to handle SAF, as well as the growing momentum behind establishing the production of SAF and a viable industry in Australia, backed by the national carrier.

Qantas established the SAF Coalition in 2023, which consists of 15 leading Australian and global companies, all supporting the use of SAF at scale to help reduce their air travel and freight emissions, further demonstrating the demand for SAF that exists across industries.

Air travel and freight can make up a significant part of the coalition partners’ emissions.

If established, domestic SAF production has the potential to contribute approximately AUD$13 billion (USD$8.33 billion) in gross domestic product annually by 2040, while supporting nearly 13,000 jobs in the feedstock supply chain and creating 5,000 new jobs to construct and run the facilities.

“Sydney Airport accounts for nearly 40 percent of Australia’s total aviation-fuel uplift, so we have a big opportunity to be a leader in the development of a domestic SAF industry,” said Scott Charlton, Sydney Airport CEO. “New South Wales is uniquely placed to develop this industry, as a major producer of important feedstocks like canola. Most of Australia’s canola harvest currently goes offshore to be turned into biofuels by other nations. With the right policy settings at a state and federal level, and governments working in partnership with industry, NSW can become a global leader in SAF—creating local jobs, supporting local industry, and fueling more sustainable flights in the future.”

Vanessa Hudson, Qantas Group CEO, said, “The creation of a domestic sustainable aviation fuel industry is key to our efforts towards the decarbonization of aviation, increasing Australia’s fuel security and creating thousands of new jobs across our economy. Today’s announcement is a proud moment for Qantas and demonstrates the demand that exists for more sustainable travel. As the national carrier, we have a role to play in reducing the impact of air travel on the environment, but we can’t do it alone. We pick up 70 percent of our fuel in Australia so we’re looking forward to working closely with the government to chart the next course for SAF in Australia. The alignment of industry and government will be critical to establishing and scaling an industry here.”

Matthew Halliday, Ampol’s managing director and CEO, added, “This delivery marks Ampol’s first major import of SAF into Australia and leverages our advanced supply-chain infrastructure to deliver this product directly from a key domestic fuel terminal to the nation’s busiest airport. This milestone highlights the critical role of collaboration in developing the SAF industry in Australia and demonstrates how industry can work hand-in-hand. This initiative is yet another step towards realizing our ambition of establishing domestic renewable fuels capability at our Lytton refinery in Brisbane.”

In line with its ambition to hit net zero by 2050, Qantas is targeting 10 percent of its fuel use to come from SAF by 2030 and approximately 60 percent by 2050.

Qantas currently uplifts SAF from London Heathrow and is exploring opportunities at other international locations.

Through its AUD$400 million (USD$256.3 million) climate fund, Qantas is also backing several other SAF-focused initiatives, including planned biofuel facilities in Queensland and New Zealand, and a recently announced investment in a climate-focused venture-capital fund.

Sydney Airport has an ambition for 50 percent of the fuel uplift at the airport by 2050 to be SAF.

The importation follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Qantas and Sydney Airport to work together to further facilitate the development of a domestic SAF industry in Australia.

The MOU and import deal demonstrate the industry’s commitment to SAF across the supply chain—from airlines and airports to corporate customers—which can be practically used today with existing infrastructure to help reduce the emissions of Australian aviation.