Volotea signs agreement with Total for SAF supply in France

Photo: Volotea

The Spanish airline Volotea announced in April that it has entered into an agreement with Total Energies for the supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for the airline’s flights departing from French airports. 

Volotea plans to purchase up to 7.5 million liters (nearly 2 million gallons) of SAF from Total Energies between 2025 and 2029, a volume that will enable the airline to reduce the carbon footprint of its flights operated from French airports. 

According to studies by the International Air Transport Association, using pure SAF can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 90 percent over the full lifecycle compared to conventional fossil-based jet fuel.  

In practice, SAF is blended with kerosene before being used in aircraft. 

SAF is currently the most effective lever for decarbonizing the aviation sector.  

This SAF is produced from waste and residues such as used cooking oils and animal fats and can be used in existing aircraft without requiring any modifications to infrastructure or engines. 

“Signing this agreement with Total Energies as a key partner strengthens our commitment to making aviation more sustainable and marks another step toward our industry’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2050,” said Carlos Muñoz, founder and CEO of Volotea. “While France is making progress in developing infrastructure for SAF production, it is essential to implement an incentive system for all sector stakeholders to encourage greater use of this sustainable fuel and promote investment in the research and development of new technologies, as well as in its large-scale production and distribution. For several years, Volotea has launched various initiatives to reduce its environmental impact. Thanks to these ongoing efforts and the rapid progress achieved, in 2024 we reduced our direct CO2 emissions per passenger-kilometer by 47 percent, bringing us closer to our target of a 50 percent reduction by 2030 (compared to 2012), and with the prospect of reaching this goal in 2025—five years ahead of our original timeline.” 

Louise Tricoire, Total Energies’ senior vice president of aviation and marine fuels, added, “We are pleased to sign this agreement with Volotea, which demonstrates our ability to support our customers in their energy transition and to promote a more sustainable aviation sector. SAF is essential to reducing the aviation industry’s CO2 emissions and its development is fully aligned with Total Energies’ strategy.” 

Volotea began integrating SAF into its fleet in 2022 and has utilized over 1.5 million liters (over 396,000 gallons) of sustainable aviation fuel since then.  

Since September 2022, Volotea’s Airbus shuttle between Hamburg and Toulouse has operated with SAF blends above the industry average, reaching 12 percent in 2023.  

Across Europe, the airline is collaborating with multiple suppliers in Spain and Italy to promote SAF development using circular raw materials.  

“These partnerships are vital to strengthening the SAF supply chain and supporting a sustainable transition in air transport,” the airline stated.