All Of Ryanair’s Amsterdam Flights Are Now Using A SAF Blend
Since April 1, all Ryanair flights scheduled out of Amsterdam Schiphol Airport have been powered by a 40% biofuel blend provided by Neste.
Ryanair is ramping up its green efforts out of Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS). In a statement posted Wednesday, the Irish low-cost carrier confirmed that it had expanded its partnership with Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) firm Neste, with flights operated from the Dutch airport powered by a 40% SAF blend.
One step forward
On the back of a year-long partnership, Ryanair and Neste are scaling up the collaboration to ensure that all the airline’s flights scheduled from Amsterdam will be operated with a blend of SAF and regular aviation fuel to slash emissions by over 30%.
Coming as part of Ryanair’s Pathway to Net Zero by 2050 pledge, the green Dutch flights will add to the carrier’s medium-term goal of operating at least 12.5% of flights with SAFs by the end of the decade.
“Ryanair is delighted to extend our partnership with Neste to increase the amount of Ryanair flights at Amsterdam being powered with a 40% blend of SAF from a third of flights to our entire Amsterdam operation from 1 April,” explained Thomas Fowler, Ryanair’s Director of Sustainability.
Espoo-based Neste is no newbie to the sustainability game, currently ranking as the top producer of SAFs, having developed its biofuels over the past decade. The Finnish company notably works with a variety of airlines worldwide, including Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, and Etihad, and is on track to produce a record-breaking 515 million gallons of SAF this year between its two refineries in Rotterdam and Singapore.
“Decarbonising aviation is more important than ever, and we are proud to support Ryanair in achieving their ambitious Pathway to Net Zero by 2050. Increasing the usage of SAF to all flights departing from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is a major milestone enabling Ryanair to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions of its operations at the airport,” added Alexander Küper, Neste’s Vice President of Renewable Aviation for EMEA.
Good to be green
Over the past several years, the Budget carrier has worked to firmly establish itself as one of the most sustainable airlines in Europe. Alongside its current Net Zero pledges, Ryanair has invested roughly $22 billion in greener aircraft, upgrading its Boeing 737-800s in favor of the ultra-efficient 737 MAX 8s, which will continue to bulk up its fleet until 2025.
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In December, the carrier unveiled an exciting new SAF partnership with Shell to fill up its aircraft with biofuels at over 200 airports across Europe, including its bases at Dublin (DUB) and London Stansted (STN). The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed December 1, will give Ryanair access to over 360,000 tonnes of SAF between 2025 and 2030, potentially slashing up to 900,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions from its operations.
Shell was the third major partner to announce a deal with the carrier. Austrian OMV signed on to supply 160,000 tonnes of SAF at airports in Austria, Germany, and Romania in September over the next eight years.
Speaking to Reuters last year, O’Leary remained cautiously optimistic over the 12.5% goal, noting that the target may not be reached unless there is a “dramatic revolution” in the creation and supply of SAFs to allow for greater availability at airports the carrier operates from.
What are your thoughts on Ryanair’s green efforts? What other ways would you like to see the carrier work towards meeting its Net Zero goals? Let us know in the comments.
Source: Reuters
