International Airlines Group signs 10-year eSAF purchase agreement with Infinium

International Airlines Group announced Nov. 25 a new sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) purchase agreement with eSAF producer Infinium, which plans to supply the U.K. market with power-to-liquid eSAF from late 2026.

Produced from water, waste CO2 and renewable energy, eSAF is expected to reduce lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions by approximately 90 percent compared to today’s conventional jet fuel.

Under the terms of the 10-year agreement, Infinium will supply IAG with eSAF to support any of its five airlines—Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, Level and Vueling.

Last year, IAG airlines used approximately 12 percent of the world’s supply of SAF.

This deal supports the scale-up of eSAF, which is manufactured through a process that converts water, waste CO2 and renewable power into fuel.

“This new class of fuel is not encumbered by feedstock limitations, has a higher degree of emissions reduction versus conventional jet fuel and has a relatively low land- and water-use footprint,” Infinium stated.

It is also a drop-in replacement for aviation fuel that requires no changes to existing aircraft-engine designs.

“So far, we’re on track to deliver our 10 percent 2030 SAF goal and agreements with innovators like Infinium are key to reaching this target,” said Jonathon Counsell, IAG’s group sustainability officer. “Aviation as an industry is working hard to decarbonize and policy should focus on solutions such as SAF, rather than only increasing costs, which risk affecting the competitiveness of the European aviation industry. What the industry needs is additional policy support to attract funds to construct SAF plants and reduce aviation’s reliance on fossil fuels.”

The eSAF will be produced at Infinium’s Project Roadrunner facility located in West Texas in the U.S.

Project Roadrunner is set to be the largest global producer of eSAF once fully operational and has received funding commitments from Brookfield Asset Management and Breakthrough Energy Catalyst.

Project Roadrunner is Infinium’s second eFuels project, being developed after the Project Pathfinder in Corpus Christi, Texas.

“We are proud that IAG has chosen Infinium to help towards its sustainability goals,” said Infinium CEO Robert Schuetzle. “Long-term, bankable commitments like these are what drive the ability to ramp up production of eSAF, which is a critical milestone for the airline industry and for eFuels as an alternative to both fossil-based fuels and prior generations of SAF.”

As part of its sustainability roadmap, IAG is also investing in new aircraft and implementing fuel-efficiency initiatives, purchasing and investing in SAF and advancing carbon removals to reduce emissions from its operations.