DHL Express signs Bahrain SAF offtake agreement with SAF One

Photo: DHL Express

DHL Express announced May 12 that it and Dubai-based next-generation SAF developer SAF One signed a landmark offtake agreement, bringing the first sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production facility in the Middle East into DHL’s global SAF supply network.

Under the agreement and as a key customer for the facility, DHL Express will receive long-term access to 25,000 metric tons of unblended SAF per year—a total of 250,000 metric tons over a 10-year term from start of production, planned from 2028.

The SAF will be produced at SAF One’s flagship plant in Bahrain, enabling measurable lifecycle-CO2e reductions across DHL’s regional and intercontinental air network, and support DHL’s aim to increase the use of SAF to 30 percent by 2030.

“We are proud to see the Middle East playing a central role in the global shift toward emission-reduced aviation,” said Abdulaziz Busbate, the CEO DHL Express in the Middle East and North Africa. “Partnering with SAF One allows us to accelerate regional decarbonization, strengthen local innovation ecosystems and offer our customers credible and transparent emission-reduced shipping solutions. This agreement symbolizes our longstanding commitment to Bahrain and across the region.”

Travis Cobb, DHL Express’ executive vice president of global network operations and aviation, added, “By integrating the first SAF plant in the Middle East into our global supply chain, we are taking another major step toward making sustainable aviation the new normal. This agreement not only expands our SAF footprint geographically but also strengthens our resilience by diversifying our sourcing. Collaborating with SAF One demonstrates how regional innovation can deliver global climate impact.”

Deepak Munganahalli, the co-founder and CEO of SAF One, said, “We are grateful to DHL Express for entering into this offtake agreement with us, which is an important step toward bringing a landmark SAF facility to the Middle East. We would also like to thank all stakeholders in Bahrain who actively supported this project, including BAPCO Energies and the Bahrain Economic Development Board.”

The SAF One production facility in Bahrain represents one of the most advanced SAF plants in the region, according to DHL Express, utilizing renewable feedstocks and next-generation refining technologies designed to deliver high-quality, scalable and certified SAF.

DHL Express’ long-term offtake agreement provides crucial demand-market stability and supports the continued growth of clean-energy infrastructure across the Middle East.

The partnership with SAF One reinforces DHL Express’ strategy to collaborate closely with leading SAF producers worldwide to secure reliable, long-term access to sustainable fuels.

The SAF supplied under this agreement will be allocated globally through a verified book-and-claim model, enabling customers to reduce scope 3 emissions even on routes not directly fueled with SAF.

To ensure these emission reductions are transparently delivered to customers, DHL integrates the SAF volumes into its decarbonization offering through GoGreen Plus.

DHL’s GoGreen Plus products provide decarbonized solutions across its core offerings by leveraging sustainable fuels and low-carbon technologies.

The products are based on true value-chain decarbonization enabled by the book-and-claim approach, which allows DHL to directly replace fossil fuels with sustainable fuels within its network and allocate the environmental benefits to paying customers—even when their shipments are not physically transported using assets powered by these fuels.

GoGreen Plus enables customers to reduce indirect scope 3 emissions arising from upstream and downstream transportation and distribution, while also supporting voluntary greenhouse-gas (GHG) reporting and progress against their decarbonization targets.