Long-term corporate SAF agreement secured by Google through Amex GBT, Shell Aviation collaboration
- American Express Global Business Travel
- Apr 1
- 3 min read
American Express Global Business Travel, a leading software and services company for travel, expense and meetings and events, and Shell Aviation, one of the world’s largest traders and suppliers of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), announced March 30 an extended agreement with Google to source SAF environmental-attribute information through the SAF registry Avelia.
The long-term agreement reinforces Google’s commitment to scaling innovative energy solutions, including alternative fuels.
SAF provides an opportunity to enhance fuel production, energy security and energy independence.
SAF can reduce the lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions from aviation by up to 80 percent when substituting for conventional jet fuel.
Strong corporate demand is essential to scaling SAF, sending the market signals producers need to invest and expand supply.
“Sustainable aviation fuel represents a critical unlock for decarbonizing the hard-to-abate aviation sector and we recognize the importance of long-term agreements to increase demand and expand its availability,” said Vrushali Gaud, the global director of climate operations at Google. “We view this as a key opportunity to support the broader ecosystem through this book-and-claim effort, while making progress towards reducing our own aviation emissions.”
Andrew Crawley, the president of American Express Global Business Travel, said, “Our valued customer Google continues to lead by example and is showcasing one of the many ways business travel is a force for good. Corporate demand and investment are essential to growing the SAF industry. By extending this key collaboration, we are continuing to build a more resilient and lower-carbon future for our industry. Together, we are investing in the technologies of tomorrow—today.”
Raman Ojha, the president of Shell Aviation, added, “Advancing SAF takes collective effort across the entire aviation ecosystem. Google’s extended commitment provides important financial signals for the SAF ecosystem and supports the development and deployment of SAF at large. We’re excited to continue this work with a company that leads with action and ambition.”
Avelia is the leading blockchain-powered book-and-claim solution with the aim of scaling SAF, reducing the lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions of aviation, and enabling greater participation in the sector’s decarbonization efforts.
Avelia brings together airlines and businesses worldwide to bridge the gap between a concentrated SAF supply and a dispersed demand, by expanding access to SAF’s lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions-reduction benefits, relative to conventional jet fuel, across the aviation value chain.
The environmental-attributes information is securely tracked and allocated through blockchain on the Avelia SAF registry.
A book-and-claim model for SAF enables businesses to access the lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions-reduction benefits of SAF compared to conventional jet fuel, even when SAF is not physically available at their departure airport, provided that the SAF is injected into the aviation fueling system elsewhere.
This approach enables a broader range of stakeholders to access and potentially benefit from SAF, helping to accelerate aviation decarbonization.
Avelia highlights include:
Over 64 million gallons of SAF injected into the existing fuel network at 18 airport injection-point locations around the world.
Helping to abate over 590,000 tons of CO2e, the equivalent of over 1 million passengers flying from London to New York.
66 corporations and airlines have already joined Avelia, with more than 1,300 retirements executed.
Since 2021, SAF production has increased 24 times and was expected to reach 713 million gallons of production by the end of 2025.
In addition to Avelia’s growth, momentum to accelerate the SAF ecosystem continues, with policy support around the globe.
This includes the clean fuel production tax credit (section 45Z) in the U.S., and various SAF mandates and incentives across Europe and Asia.
