Swiss Int’l Air Lines becomes 1st commercial airline to fly from Switzerland with Neste SAF

Photo: Swiss International Air Lines

Swiss International Air Lines has established the first-ever end-to-end logistics chain for importing Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel™ (SAF) to Switzerland in collaboration with various partners. This makes the company the first commercial airline to use SAF in its scheduled flight operations from Switzerland.

Aircraft fuel with a renewable component has been importable to and usable in Switzerland since July 1, thanks to new customs provisions. Swiss international Air Lines’ first delivery of SAF is sufficient to fuel more than 175 short-haul flights. SAF will be fueled at Zurich Airport via the conventional hydrant system. The Neste SAF blend is Jet A-1 certified, and can be used just like fossil jet fuel on all aircraft types without any modifications to the aircraft or its engines. Neste’s SAF is made from sustainably sourced renewable waste and residue raw materials. In its neat form, and over its full life cycle, its use can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80 percent compared to fossil fuels. Its production was certified by the independent Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials this spring. “We are very pleased to welcome Swiss International Air Lines to the ever-growing ranks of major airlines that are using Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel,” said Jonathan Wood, Neste’s vice president for renewable aviation in Europe. “This first-ever delivery of SAF to Switzerland for commercial airline use is a major milestone for us at Neste.”

The airline has been working with the Lufthansa Group for several years to promote research into and the trialing and adoption of SAF. As a pioneer in the field, the Lufthansa Group conducted the world’s first long-term trial of biofuels in Lufthansa’s scheduled flight operations in cooperation with Neste as early as in 2011.