New Finnair service enables corporate customers to advance SAF adoption

Finnair has launched a new Finnair for Business SAF service, which enables corporate customers to participate in the reduction of aviation emissions by supporting the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). 

The new SAF service is designed for members of the Finnair for Business program, and it allows companies to monitor the actual flight emissions of their business trips and to participate in enhancing SAF use through co-funding.  

The emission reduction achieved is verified by a third party, and the company receives an audited SAF certificate for its investment, which it can use in its sustainability reporting.  

The emission reduction related to SAF is allocated to the corporate customer according to a book-and-claim model.  

It makes it possible to reduce emissions from flying without the physical delivery of fuel to the customer’s own flight.  

“We want to develop flying in a more sustainable direction and are now taking steps on several different fronts,” said Tuomo Karppinen, Finnair’s head of environment. “We believe that the most effective solutions can be found at the system level and require cooperation not only between decision-makers and energy producers, but also between airlines and customers. With Finnair for Business SAF service, we want to accelerate the adoption of alternative aviation fuel made from renewable raw materials.”  

In 2024, more than 99 percent of the aviation fuel produced globally was fossil kerosene.  

Approximately 0.5 percent of the aviation fuel procured by Finnair in 2024 was SAF.  

This year, Finnair’s goal is to roughly triple the share compared to last year.  

Finnair is collaborating, for example, with Neste to accelerate the adoption of SAF.  

Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel™ is made from 100 percent renewable raw materials, such as used cooking oil and animal fat waste, and its use can reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by up to 80 percent over the entire lifecycle of the fuel compared to fossil kerosene. 

“The environmental benefits of sustainable aviation fuel are significant,” Karppinen said. “However, the aviation fuel we use will not be fully renewable for a long time, since SAF is blended with fossil fuels. But the more we use renewable fuel, the greater the reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions we will achieve.” 

Finnair said it is committed to increasing the use of SAF and supporting the transition towards more sustainable air traffic.  

The Finnair for Business SAF service is part of this strategy. 

Currently, a total of eight Finnair cargo and corporate customers have decided to support the use of SAF.  

Finnair has also made it possible for consumers to participate in the purchase of SAF.  

This service has been available for almost a year, and so far, around 31,000 customers have contributed a small amount to promoting the use of SAF when booking their tickets. 

In August this year, Finnair also announced cooperation with technology company Liquid Sun in launching an eSAF production demonstration in Espoo, Finland.