Singapore Airlines to offtake next-gen SAF from Aether Fuels

Singapore Airlines announced Oct. 28 that it has signed an agreement to purchase up to 4,800 metric tons of next-generation sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from Aether Beacon Pte Ltd. (Aether) over three years, with deliveries commencing in 2028.

Singapore Airlines is the first airline to purchase SAF produced at Project Beacon, Aether’s commercial production facility, which is being developed at Aster’s refining complex on Pulau Bukom in Singapore.

The agreement marks Singapore Airlines’ first purchase of SAF produced using new technology that converts waste-carbon feedstocks into aviation fuel.

Project Beacon will use feedstocks such as biomethane and industrial waste gases to produce SAF using Aether’s Aurora technology.

This offers an alternative to the hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) pathway, which relies on more constrained lipid-based feedstocks.

Aether uses its proprietary technology, which innovates around the Fischer-Tropsch process to convert these waste-derived gases into liquid aviation fuel.

The SAF produced will be certified under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation.

By 2031, Aether intends to start up its first large-scale commercial plant, with a production capacity at least 10 times larger than Beacon, as part of its planned expansion of its next-generation SAF production capacity.

“Supporting the development and adoption of SAF, and securing future supplies, are integral to Singapore Airlines’ ambition of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050,” said Lee Wen Fen, Singapore Airlines’ chief sustainability officer. “As the first airline to purchase SAF from Project Beacon, Singapore Airlines is demonstrating demand for new lower-carbon fuel production pathways in Singapore. We will continue to work with partners globally to scale SAF production, strengthen the aviation industry’s sustainability ecosystem and support the transition to more sustainable air travel.”

Conor Madigan, the co-founder and CEO of Aether Fuels, added, “When we signed our memorandum of understanding with Singapore Airlines last year, Project Beacon had not yet been announced. Since then, we have selected Singapore as the home of our first commercial facility and built critical partnerships across the local value chain. Singapore is building a strong ecosystem for aviation decarbonization through refining and aviation infrastructure, investment support, sustainability policies and utilizing their position as a global aviation hub. This binding agreement is an important next step and a strong signal of committed demand from a leading global airline—exactly the type of collaboration needed to create the commercial conditions to bring new SAF pathways to scale.”