Austrian Airlines receives 1st batch of OMV-produced SAF in Vienna

Photo: Austrian Airlines

After signing a supply contract late last year, the first delivery of OMV-produced sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) was delivered last month to the Vienna International Airport for fueling Austrian Airlines’ aircraft. OMV operates three refineries in Europe, and holds a 15 percent stake in a refining joint venture in the UAE. The SAF delivered to Austrian Airlines was coprocessed at OMV’s Schwechat refinery, which first announced it would coprocess used cooking oil and other feedstocks at the refinery in January 2021.

“We are planning to increase sales of SAF from our own production from approximately 2,000 metric tons this year to more than 700,000 tons per year by 2030,” said Elena Skvortsova, executive officer for marketing and trading at OMV. “With this, we address the reduction of greenhouse gases. The first milestone is already achieved with the delivery of SAF to our longstanding partner, Austrian Airlines. Through this cooperation, we demonstrate the strength of two national champions, OMV and Austrian Airlines, which further solidifies Austria as an innovation hub.”

Martijn van Koten, OMV executive board member for refining, added, “Sustainable aviation fuels are a core technology for reducing CO2 emissions in air travel and they demonstrate the enormous innovation potential of the industry. The production of SAF at our Schwechat refinery can be seen as highly efficient not only due to the use of regionally sourced sustainable raw materials but also due to the use of existing infrastructure for production, storage and fueling at Vienna International Airport.” Francesco Sciortino, chief operational officer for Austrian Airlines, said, “The supply chain for our SAF could not be any more Austrian. The cooperation with OMV shows how regionally such innovations can be built and prove Austrian visionary power.”