Singapore Airlines (SIA) has entered into an agreement with Aether Beacon to purchase up to 4,800 tonnes of next-generation sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) over a three-year period, with supplies expected to begin in 2028, Asian Aviation reported.
The agreement makes SIA the first airline to buy SAF manufactured at Project Beacon, Aether’s commercial production facility being developed at Aster’s refining complex on Singapore’s Pulau Bukom. It is also the airline’s first purchase of SAF produced through a technology that converts waste carbon feedstocks into aviation fuel.
Project Beacon will use biomethane and industrial waste gases as feedstocks to manufacture SAF through Aether’s proprietary Aurora technology. The process offers an alternative to the hydro-processed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) route, which depends on lipid-based feedstocks that are comparatively limited in availability.
Aether’s Aurora technology uses an innovative approach to the Fischer-Tropsch process to transform waste-derived gases into liquid aviation fuel. The SAF produced at the facility will be certified under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).
As part of its expansion plans, Aether aims to bring its first large-scale commercial plant into operation by 2031. The proposed facility is expected to have a production capacity at least 10 times that of Project Beacon, significantly expanding the company’s next-generation SAF output.
Lee Wen Fen, Chief Sustainability Officer of Singapore Airlines, said the development and adoption of SAF, along with securing reliable future supplies, were important to the airline’s target of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
She said SIA’s decision to become the first airline to purchase fuel from Project Beacon reflected demand for emerging lower-carbon fuel production technologies in Singapore. The airline would continue to collaborate with partners worldwide to expand SAF production, strengthen the aviation industry’s sustainability ecosystem and support the shift towards more sustainable air travel.
Conor Madigan, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Aether Fuels, said Project Beacon was not yet announced when the company signed a memorandum of understanding with Singapore Airlines last year. Since then, Aether has chosen Singapore for its first commercial facility and established key partnerships across the local value chain.
He said Singapore was developing a strong foundation for aviation decarbonisation through its refining and aviation infrastructure, investment support, sustainability policies and status as a global aviation hub.
Madigan said the binding agreement represented an important milestone and demonstrated firm demand from a major international airline. Such partnerships are essential to establishing the commercial conditions needed to expand new SAF production technologies, he added.
